The Cats have joined a new Geelong community drugs taskforce focusing on ice use among young people, a national foundation has announced.
Geelong Football Club would serve the Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) under the leadership of welfare body Barwon Child Youth and Family, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation said.
The Geelong team was one of 80 rolling out around Australia, the foundation said.
The teams would work on developing “an evidence-informed approach to engaging with young people”.
“The primary focus of this LDAT is the prevention of alcohol and other drug-related harm in the Geelong area,” the foundation said.
“The LDAT’s work will centre on community engagement and understanding of how best to reduce the risk factors for young people in Geelong.“
“The LDATs were part of a Turnbull Government plan to “tackle the scourge of ice, drugs and alcohol at a grass-roots level”, said federal MP Sarah Henderson.
Geelong’s team would have an “initial” $10,000 in funding to deliver support services, the Member for Corangamite said.
The LDATs were among more than 300 partnerships between councils, service providers, schools, police, sports groups and non-government organisations to fight Australia’s drugs scourge, she said.
“Over the next three years, 220 LDATs will be established across the country and supported by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation to develop locally focused and responsive action plans to reduce the impact of drugs, with a particular focus on the drug ice.”
Rising rates of drug use around the Geelong region have been linked to increasing instances of crime in recent years, particularly theft and burglaries.
