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Two uplifting days full of inspiration at the WeFree Forum (October 5 - 6, 2012) with several therapeutic communities represented - De Hoop (The Netherlands), Basta (Sweden), SanPatrignano itself and a newly startDSC03832ed Jägersberg near Norwegian city of Kristiansand - produced plenty of discussions. Colleagues and friends who participated in ECAD seminar and WeFree days talked a lot of learning about sobriety and filling the void of social exclusion with bridged relationships, not with drugs.

The panelists of the first day, a
mong them Rowdy Yates, a president of the European Federation of Therapeutic Communities (TC), agreed upon the thought that TC is not about living in a community, it is about learning to live right, to live a "normal" life, attaching value to the people, being responsible and less egocentrical.

Daily pressure and plenty of room for individualism distort ge
neral human values and often become the reason why drugs are being used in modern societies. Modern culture of youth is driven by immediate struggle for consuming everything right now and leaves little space and time for care or attention towards members of the family, friends and humanity in general.

Prevention and reco
very is about giving the right skills and competences for young people and their families, being close to children, putting family members close to one another, TC panel participants consented.

Frans Koopmans
, responsible for prevention and public relations at De Hoop Foundation, spoke about the right choices for young people, stressing that importance of influence of norms in social context must be addressed at all levels, governmental and local levels, as well as at the family level.




DSC03837More than 2000 guests participated in the Forums on Friday and Saturday, October 5-6, including ex-Mayor of Milan Mrs. Letizia Moratti, a newly appointed President of RAI Mrs. Anna Maria Tarantola who was on the discussion panel on Saturday, together with Mr. Giovanni Serpelloni, Head of the antidrug policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and Dr. Gilberto Gerra, Chief for drug rehabilitation and prevention at the UNODC.

Dr. Gerra pinpointed that interpersonal relationships lie at the heart of prevention. Recent American research revealed that 13-19 year old regular cannabis smokers have 8 to 10 points lower IQ than their drug-free counterparts. Thus cannabis smoking implies social and emotional impairment to the individual development of young people.
Quo prodis?
- Who is interested in having a new generation of people having lower IQ, wondered Doctor Gerra openly.

Young people should act as protagonists against the normalisation of drug use for - "who wants to live in a society where drugs are a way of life?"

ECAD supports this message wholeheartedly and thanks SanPatrignano for this event of tremendous importance and for inspiring insight into their community life!

Download the Programme for WeFee Days (PDF)

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