Peer educators create book to show realities of drug use

Dramatic photography and real life stories of drug use have been gathered in a new book by a peer education project in Dundee.

Writing To Reach You, to be launched in the city tonight, has been created by the photography group at the Dundee Peer Education Project (PEP), providing a fresh and creative perspective on a controversial subject.

Young participants in the group worked with their peers, aged 15-18, to explore health improvement through the creative arts.

The book is based on stories and experiences written by those affected by drug use, and their personal real-life accounts are the main focus, with photography used to bring to life the honest and graphic nature of the experiences shared.

The book aims to increase awareness, promote discussion and address the issues surrounding recreational and problematic drug use.

Peer educators – including Sian Carlin, a photography group member who recently won the Lord Provost’s McManus Citizenship Award – gave their time voluntarily for the project,

They hope the resource will be of use to anyone involved in youth work, communities, education, social work and the voluntary sector.

The launch takes place at The McManus Gallery and Museum, backed by partner organisations including Addaction, Key to Change and Tayside Substance Misuse Service.

“This project has challenged perceptions, dispelled myths and increased knowledge regarding recreational and problematic drug use, not just for the peer educators and staff involved, but hopefully for all who read the book,” said Laura McGregor, project worker at the Dundee PEP.

Laura Williamson, of St. Paul’s Academy RC, one of the peer educators, said “Throughout the process of developing this book I have opened my mind about drug use. I hope that this book provokes discussion and changes people’s opinions as it did mine.”

This year the Dundee PEP was honoured with a Gold COSLA Excellence Award for Tackling Health Inequalities and Improving Health.

It is located in The Corner, the project which was runner up for the health provider title in last year’s Herald Society awards.

See next Tuesday’s Society page for details of how to enter this year’s awards.