Session 6 Summary Report on Self Esteem and Drug Abuse

• Itsekiri NextGen Project: Report For 6th Session 
• Date: Saturday 27/11/2021 
• Number of volunteers present: Five (5)
• Number of Participants present: Sixty (60)
• Time: 11:00 am – 1:30 pm 
• Venue: Former Caravan 4, Aji Pessu, Warri
• Main Topic: Self Esteem and Effect of drug abuse in our society
• Resource Persons: Sholaye Edun/ Uwala Tedeye

Summary of the session on Self Esteem and Drug Abuse

The 6th Session of the Itsekiri NextGen project was held on the 27th of November 2021 focusing on two interesting and interactive topics. The topics discussed were on “self-esteem”; especially for young people, and “drug abuse in society”. The link between low self esteem and the prevalence of drug use amongst teenagers and young adults were discussed. The countenance of the participants clearly reflected a new and positive view of themselves that suggested an improved sense of confidence in themselves. With regards to the issue of drug abuse, the participants were also encouraged to develop the willpower to resist an attempt and/or offer to take strange substances, food or drink that could be loosely classed as hard drugs or strange substances. Videos and images were displayed to drive home the key messages in these sessions. 

Session delivery 

The session began with a review of the last session on healthy living. Thereafter, a task was given where participants were asked to write down what they have been told that made them feel bad, less confident and depressed on sticky notes. Below are some of the responses from the participants. 

1. They said I am too fat.
2. They said I am too short
3. My friends said I am dull
4. My father said I don’t do well in school

Each of the responses was treated by the resource persons accordingly. They were made to know and understand that they should not absorb ill-talk. They were encouraged to shield it off with a “thank you”, “I love the way I look” and “I like myself the way I am”. They were made to know that their parents will not be happy when their ward is not doing well in school hence they need to sit up and work hard as well. 

On the other hand, the participants were also encouraged against saying derogatory words to others since these same words also negatively affect their self esteem. In essence, it is pertinent that they are bold and confident in themselves. A video clip was shown to them to emphasize this point. 

The second phase of the session is on the effect of drug abuse. It is obvious that this is currently a menace in Warri; not excluding Pessu Community. There have been documented videos and visual evidence showing the devastating health effects on persons that use various types of hard drugs. Drug abuse and its effect can not be overemphasized in our present-day society even amongst teenagers and young adults, hence the need to sensitive the participants about their use and abuse in this session. 

In the course of the session, a task was given to the participants to list some common drugs and their street names. Some of the drugs are as follows with the street names in in red:

• Rophynol (happy pills)
• Methamphetamine (meth)
• Cocaine (coke)
• Tramadol (TM)
• Marijuana (morocco/loud)

Due to the age range of the participants, they can be easily lured by peers to taste drugs to make them feel good, so they were advised to always resist such lures. They were also told to;

• Never eat unverified food or drinks at parties because there can be drugs in them. 

• Never to go on drug buying errands but they should decline in a respectable manner.

• Stay away from friends that do drugs.

Photos of some hard drugs were displayed as well as videos and cartoon characters depicting the dangerous effects of drugs. This was well received by the participants as it presents visual evidence of the message of the session.

The outcome of the activity of participants 

A task was given for participants to talk about some of their experiences with drugs;  directly or indirectly.

One of the participants spoke up on how he usually goes on errands to get drugs for some people in his neighbourhood. The teenager later declared that since he has now learnt of the harmful effects from drugs, he will no longer want to get anywhere close to any drugs. This is because he doesn’t want to get introduced to taking any.

A slogan was introduced to the participants. It goes like this: “drugs are not good, just say no”. This was introduced as a chant to the participants and they could be heard repeating the slogan with a raised hand and folded fist. This is a symbol of resistance. Itsekiri NextGen is primed to play a critical role in the war against drug abuse in Pessu community and Warri Kingdom. Drug abuse is fast eroding the very fabric of our society; the next generation. 

Additional Topic explored during the session:

New vocabularies were introduced to them.

Key lesson learned:

There is interconnectedness between drug abuse and self-esteem. This is because the intake of drugs erodes the ability to do ordinary things. However, once someone becomes addicted to drugs, their self-esteem will now be tied to the drug intake, absence of which reduces self confidence and abilities. 

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