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Addiction Problem among Muslim Youth: The HOPE Project
11-05-2014
What goes through your mind when you see the words addictions and Muslims? If you are like me a few months ago, you are going to be drawing a blank. The truth of the matter however is that our community has a very serious and growing need to address the issue of drugs, alcohol and substance abuse and how they may be harming the youth of our community.
Herein lies the seed for the creation of The HOPE (Healing Opportunities through Prevention & Education) Project by the Muslim Food Bank Society. We aim at identifying, educating and empowering Muslim youth struggling with addictions ranging from substance abuse to gambling. We treat every youth with dignity and high degree of confidentiality, recognizing the challenges they face today, and assisting them in overcoming these challenges by creating a safe, secure and dignified space.
Today Muslim youth come from a variety of backgrounds and an ever growing number of them are getting a fresh start as immigrants or refugees in Canada. Just in the first three months of 2013 the Immigrant Services Society of BC helped place 91 refugees, mostly within the Lower Mainland communities of Surrey, Burnaby and Coquitlam. Faced with acclimatizing to a new and foreign society and sometimes unable to speak the language, parents unfortunately lose touch with how their children are faring in their new home. The youths for their part are faced with many choices both in our Islamic and public schools, as they find their place in a new society. This can bring about alienation, shame, frustration and depression, the very seeds out of which spring most addictions, and without any sort of support system in place the only direction they can go is down. And nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in the Canadian prison system where the Muslim inmate population is rapidly growing.
Further compounding this problem is the stigma associated with substance abuse as a member of the Muslim community. We see and we do not speak, we hear and we do not act. We are trained ill-advisedly to minimize rather than empathize, and judge without having the right to do so. As members of the Muslim community it is our responsibility to help our brothers and sisters overcome these challenges in a safe environment. Through the HOPE Project we aim to train caseworkers to identify the scope of the problem whether it be drugs, alcohol, gambling or substance abuse and connect the client with support services in the community from counsellors to rehab and other resources available. Our caseworkers treat every youth client with dignity, respect and high confidentiality. We recognize the challenges youth face today, and intend on assisting them in overcoming these challenges by creating a safe space; conducting needs assessments, supporting them one-on-one and connecting the clients to appropriate services available in the Greater Vancouver area.
If you, your children or anybody around you need support, please call 1-866-824-2525 ext 201 or hope@muslimfoodbank.com.
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