Social Seminar Promotional Film (1972)

the National Institute of Mental Health in cooperation with the US Office of Education announces an important new resource for drug abuse education the social seminar education drugs and society all of us face the difficult task of finding workable ways of dealing with the problem of drug abuse the problem does not lend itself to simple solutions drug abuse is a community-wide problem which requires the support and cooperation of all community members and social institutions in our schools teachers are in daily contact with young people and play a key role in drug abuse prevention teachers must try to understand some of the social and cultural phenomena which trouble many of today's youth and be sensitive to the pressures and anxieties of adolescence teachers must try to determine the factors which would predispose a youth to abuse drugs teachers must help to create a school environment which is relevant to the students needs interests and aspirations teachers or anyone else dealing with young people need to be well informed about what drugs are and how they are used and abused and the possible causes for the drug problem and most important of all they must understand their own attitudes toward drug abuse and drug abusers before they can make any meaningful contributions in curbing the abuse of drugs the drug problem is really a people problem a communication problem involving students and parents and doctors friends and teachers and clergymen policemen and neighbors and civic leaders and also involving families and communities and cultures and schools and values and also drugs what fits in where who's responsible for what who can help how and where to begin these and other questions have been probed by young filmmakers from the extension media center UCLA teamed with scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health and health educators from the US Office of Education the result is the social seminar education drugs and society the most comprehensive multimedia drug abuse education program today designed especially for teachers in the school community one component of the program concentrates on the factual issues through the technique of a programmed instruction text entitled what will happen if the teacher will learn about the various kinds of drugs their derivations their effects on the body and the central nervous system and other information about how drugs are used and abused the core of the social seminar is an 18 part film print series for teachers and other school personnel the films were made by a group of young inventive filmmakers at the extension media center UCLA they bring to the film's creative vitality commitment special insights realism and a sense of social urgency as a unit the 18 part series provides a thorough background for the teacher who faces drug abuse education in the school individually some of the films are important for parents community leaders and anyone else who deals with young people so we felt one priority should be a drug abuse class for teachers and for community people teachers in particular so they could kind of see the area with programs the film's investigate the motivational aspects of drug use and the legal and treatment issues as well the films are good discussion starters in one of the film's changing a young family struggles for equilibrium in a society of conflicting standards and values matter what I say or anybody else does that is what he's going to do and he does it another film drug talk compares and contrasts several current drug abuse education programs for secondary schools problem do you see through the use of drugs we've already got the problem we're stuck with it we've got to find some solution at this point I came home today you know this barn you are in school today angle the film Brian at 17 presents an adolescent's view of his educational needs and how school is and isn't fulfilling them within Federation Jordan Paul one teachers approach is a personal film about a teacher's life and his students and the open lines of communication between them maybe doing things to get people to break the ice to get people more involved with each other I've done this kind of thing before in class and the reaction is you know the people who who have an involvement like that tend to feel closer to each other the complete 18 part series designed for in-service teacher training college and Educational Television use includes a discussion guide for each segment and a general curriculum guide for the entire course a role-playing simulation game entitled drugs a community at the crossroads is another component of the program the simulation is used to dramatize the need for mobilizing community resources for planning education prevention and treatment programs and to foster respect trust and confidence between parent teacher and student it helps young people dolls come together to explore common ground and to modify their attitudes about drug use and you'd have to throw your kids in reform school not only the social seminar materials have been carefully evaluated following extensive pretesting on diverse groups throughout the country and throughout the country the White House special action office on Drug Abuse Prevention is cooperating with local communities to present the social seminar to provide instruction on effective utilization and to encourage local drug abuse education programs how can teachers get facts about drug abuse through to their students what is it like being a teenager growing up in the 70s how effective are drug education programs in the schools what is really at the root of the drug problem how much of the data teachers receive about drugs is factual how much is myth there are no simple answers to these complex questions there are no easy solutions to the drug problem the drug problem is a people problem in a communication problem for social seminar education drugs and society