The volunteers of the Red Cross Drug and Alcohol Programme visit schools and festivals or patrol the streets sharing information on the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol. If you are sociable, like young people and enjoy talking with them, you could be a perfect candidate for becoming a volunteer drug worker. Come take part in the next FRC drug and alcohol course!

Join volunteer drug workers
Drug and Alcohol Programme is an important part of the basic task of the Finnish Red Cross. That is protection of life and health, as well as speaking on behalf of human’s rights. Our purpose is to prevent people from trying and using drugs, to prevent from addiction to drugs and alcohol, as well as to reduce the harm, which is coming from using them, by increasing knowledge and awareness.

We want to promote choices that support health and wellbeing. We do drug and alcohol work based on the principles of the Red Cross and we aim for genuine interaction with people.

Forms of activity and courses
The basic course of the preventive drug and alcohol work is a drug counselor course. Drug counselors can work at schools, at parents’ evenings, at the networks of their own area and at the activity groups.

They work with the different age groups starting from the subteens to the elderly depending on their interests. They can make use of the materials of the Finnish Drug and Alcohol Programme such as the Drug and Alcohol Info-competition or the game “Jungle of choices”, e.g. at the fair or during the lessons.

The basic course of guiding and supporting drug and alcohol work is the course of early intervention. The course is intended for those, who faces the drug and alcohol users.

Those, who have completed the course, as well can work at the festivals and at the other events performing volunteer drug work coordinated by the Red Cross. The course gives the preparedness to face the drug and alcohol users comprehensively, to recognize the signs of drug use, to talk about drug and alcohol use or to guide people to different areas of services.

"The Drug and Alcohol Programme of the Finnish Red Cross has created the Model of early intervention to make easier to speak about drugs and alcohol with people. It supports the prevention of drug and alcohol usage as well as prevention of harm caused by them and it speeds up the guidance to the support services. The eight-step model is a concrete tool that directs the conversation keeping it goal-oriented. The meeting between a volunteer and a drug or alcohol user have to be equal and respectful."

The basic courses are usually the weekend courses. Courses are in finnish and you find them here with the title päihde.

The High-speed communication network, Novi
The Finnish Red Cross maintains The High-speed communication network, with the help of which we can prevent drug and alcohol use and the health and social harm that is coming from using them. Those, who face the drug and alcohol users at work regularly and want to inform about their observations, e.g. about new drug substances or drug use trends, so as to get information about it, can join this communication network.

If you are interested, please send us a message to hup.neuvonta@redcross.fi