A COMMUNITY forum to discuss the ice epidemic has been given expert guidance from a Sydney-based consultancy team.
The discussion, which at its outset aimed to ‘crack the ice’, shifted focus over three days to combating some much bigger issues behind all forms of addiction.
Led by Sydney-based 2nd Road, the group started looking at why people turn to addiction.
“We believe something is missing for these people,” Will Scott-Kemmis from 2nd Road said.
“What is missing is connection, people need to bond, with family, with friends and with community.
“If these connections are missing then they will fill the gap with addiction.”
It was the first time in Swan Hill that a discussion such as this has been led by experts who specialise in helping people work together.
“We moved from cracking the ice to looking at all addiction, then to building a strong community,” Sunrise Rotary of Swan Hill president Yvonne Jennings said.
“One strategy we developed was to find a way to keep people with issues in our community by strengthening services and support available here in Swan Hill.”
For more on this story, grab a copy of Friday’s Guardian (October 16).
