By Lee Bogle
The Circle of Friends is more than the circle of friends we see in That 70’s Show. It’s a group created by the Calgary Health Region to promote awareness of social issues that affect everyone.
Sat. Mar. 27 saw the culmination of a group of high school students’ work with the launch of a marketing campaign to raise awareness among 16–24 year olds about the debilitating disease Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
The slacker or trouble maker we knew throughout school may have been an undiagnosed victim of fasd. Trouble follows these kids relentlessly throughout life. There is no cure.
The chr has been setting up the idea of Circle of Friends as a peer support group initiative.
So they went to the streets, organizing youth and prompting a peer-facilitated social marketing campaign to help other affected children.
On Sat., Mar. 27, 12 high school students organized live music and a positive atmosphere at The Cave, a youth hangout in the North East Calgary. Posters were painted and have been hung around Calgary to inform the public about fasd.
About 70 kids were on hand to spread the message that no alcohol is best during pregnancy.
“This part of the program is very exciting for us because these young people are embracing the campaign that has been developed by their peers”, said event organizer Nadene Tipper.