Drug awareness school poster competition
One of the many projects undertaken by the Athlone Drug Awareness Group (ADAG) is now on display in the atrium of the Athlone Civic Building, thanks to the staff of Athlone Library. The Chairman of the group Cllr Frankie Keena has invited the public to come along and view the excellent artistic work carried out by those post primary students who participated in the group’s art competition on the theme of substance misuse.
"It is important for the public to closely study each poster and understand the thought process as the students share with us their insights and views through art on the dangers of drug use" he said.
"I would like to sincerely thank all the students from their respective schools for creating such high standard artistic displays and indeed both Galina Fjodorova and Iuliya Polishchuk in the ADAG office who coordinated and liaised with the schools on this project" he added.
A spokesperson for Westmeath Arts & Libraries said it was delighted to support this community youth project.
"It is inspirational to see how art can be used as a powerful platform for young people to express their views and emotions around drugs and their misuse. Congratulations to all the artists for trying to foster deeper understanding and encourage discussion within the community around this challenging subject’’.
The group gratefully receives annual funding from the Midland Regional Drug & Alcohol Task Force (MRDATF) for such projects. Martina Dunne who is a coordinator with the MRDATF, said they are delighted to fund the Athlone Drug Awareness Group with this school art competition. She said it was a great initiative to educate young people on the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol. "Well done to all the young people and schools involved," she said.
Galina, who is a coordinator with the ADAG, said she really appreciated all the students’ hard work and the strong support from the teachers.
"I personally thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition, as did my kids who were able to observe all the stages of it with a lot of interest. I was really overwhelmed by the presentation of various art posters and their different visions on the topic," she added.