Ógra Shinn Fein launch new campaign on Drugs and Alcohol abuse

Saturday last at an Comhdháil Náisiúnta, Ógra Shinn Féin launched their new national campaign, NARC – Not Another Ravaged Community. The campaign is an awareness campaign, focusing on highlighting the negative effects of drug and alcohol abuse on communities. The campaign will be the focus of Ógra activity over the next six months.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign on Saturday, outgoing National Campaigns Officer, Peadar de Bluit said;

“During the past year, in undertaking the ARISE and Moilligh Síos campaigns, Ógra sharpened our camapigning techniques. In the coming months we must now must utilise this, and commit ourselves in the coming months to re-doubling our efforts to ensure that this new campaign is a success. This campaign provides immense potential, not only to make a difference in terms of drug and alcohol abuse in Irish communities, but also presents the possibility of building on the unprecedented growth and development witnessed throughout the country in rthe last year.”

“This aim of this new campaign is to highlight the destructive affects of drug and alcohol abuse on Irish communities. To this end activists will be engaging in a number of activities during the campaign. Obviously our first priority is the publication of the new campaign, which will be done through local launches in areas where Ógra are active. This is an awareness campaign, and as such, dissemination of literature will also be of paramount importance. Our principle objective in this campaign will be to bring home to people the negative effects of drug and alcohol abuse on their communities.”

“Another key aim of the campaign is gaining widespread support for the campign aims. We cannot expect to achieve our aims in isolation, for this reason motions will be presented, supporting Ógra’s campaign demands, to council chambers across the country. In conjunction with this in order to garner popular support Ógra activists will also be asked to become involved with local community groups tasked with engaging with the epidemic of drug and alcohol abuse in their areas, ensuring Ógra activists are at the coalface of tackling drug and alcohol abuse across the 32 counties.”

“Activists are being asked to undertake a lot in the name of this campaign, however, if we commit ourselves to contributing as much as we can to this campaign the benefits to communities across the country, will make our efforts worthwhile.”

“Tá carn mór obair le déanamh ag an uile duine againn san am atá le teacht. Is ceist an-mhór í ceist mí-úsáid drugaí is alcól sa phobail, le tús an fheachtas seo áfach táimidne in Ógra Shinn Féin á rá go soiléir nach bhfuilimid sásta cur suas leis a thuilleadh. Má chuirimid isteach an obair sin ní cur amú a bheidh ann insan méid a bhainimid amach ag deireadh an fheachtas. Ní neart go cur le chéile.”