PRIDE, (Parent Resource Institute for Drug Education), Bermuda is dedicated to preventing the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs by educating and empowering the youth, their parents and concerned adults of Bermuda to live and support healthy, drug-free, lifestyles.

We see the need to rebuild the "parents movement'' and to get concerned parents and adults involved in the community and the lives of our youth. We want to provide adults with the most up-to-date information about the harmful effects of drugs on the body. We want them to know which drugs are prevalent in their immediate community.

In doing this we help adults to understand the risks associated with drug use and the impact it has on the social well-being of our community. Adults are empowered to rise to the challenge of assisting in reducing risk factors and creating more protective factors to stem the psychological, behavioural, familial and social deterioration that occurs with drug use.

Prevention works. We have proven it through vaccinating our young as they grow to prevent them from deadly epidemics. Drug use is deadly. Our weapon of choice to prevent drug use from becoming an epidemic is through information and education, and by offering drug-free alternative community activities.

We need support from citizens at every level of the community. We work with adults involved in civic, business, religious, educational, sporting, law enforcement and governmental organisations from the top-down and bottom-up in our prevention efforts.

Most people are well aware of our youth programmes, however, PRIDE Bermuda offers two programmes for Bermuda's adult populace. They are Parent to Parent and Parent Connection.

Parent to Parent is a programme designed to challenge the thinking of parent and adult participants in a wide variety of topics including: establishing and communicating a family belief system.

developing a trustworthy child.

understanding the difference between consequences and punishment.

recognising the signs of alcohol or drug use.

setting realistic expectations.

If you are a parent that is seeking support and: wants assurances that other parents will provide a safe, supervised place for their children when they are away from home.

is tired of hearing, "Nobody else has such strict parents!'' or "Everybody else is going except me!'' would like to work with other parents to establish healthy guidelines for limit setting that are supported by other parents.

then Parent Connection is for you.

We offer parents support by providing a network list of parents who pledge to uphold the Parent Connection Safe Children Guidelines. We also provide local and international parenting resources and literature. The Parent Connection is designed to encourage parents to unite their efforts to provide a safe community.

Communication is the most important aspect of the Parent Connection. parents who want to discuss with other parents what works, what our children are doing and different ideas concerning parenting issues have a network of other parents they can talk to.

Parent Facilitators: Some of PRIDE's leaders are left to right: Gordan Johnson, Dorothy Butterfield, Alvin Daniels, Karen Esdaille, and Winston Esdaille.

PRIDE: Judith Burgess, executive director, (front row, far right) with members of the Parents Connection of PRIDE and their children. PRIDE gives parents an opportunity to share resources to make the job of parenting easier. Parents work together to help create a safer community.

DRUGS DGS