758400 EPOPS Project Title: Empowering Parents ......Introduction Despite the scientific evidence available showing that families are the main collective that can ensure young people’s

Project Number: 758400

Project Acronym: EPOPS

Project Title: Empowering Parents Organizations to Prevent Substance-use

Deliverable reference number: D1.10

Deliverable title: Environmental report

Partner responsible for this deliverable:

FAPA Mallorca

Environmental report

Due date of deliverable: M26 – 1st December 2019

Submission date: 26th November 2019

This report was funded by the European Union’s Justice Programme – Drugs Policy Initiatives. The content of this report represents the views of the authors only and is their responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains Funded by the European Union’s Justice Programme – Drugs Policy Initiatives.

Ref. Ares(2019)7321347 - 27/11/2019

Introduction

Despite the scientific evidence available showing that families are the main collective that

can ensure young people’s wellbeing (health, safety, skills training, etc.), they have been set

aside (on their own initiative or not) in preventing risks that could affect their children. The

FERYA model provides a training strategy where the socialisation of prevention depends on

parents’ organisations developing leadership and empowerment skills, so that they can play

an active role in prevention by addressing these risks.

The close collaboration between prevention professionals and parents’ organisations

promotes both working in cooperation within complex collaborative networks, and shifting

the current prevention paradigm. The FERYA model fosters connections through networking,

and allows co-production and triggers social strategies focused on promoting actual

changes. These changes start with building awareness, developing initiatives for a better

management of risk contexts and by facilitating the development of regulations and laws

and their enforcement, among others.

During the implementation of this model, it has been found that families – with the support of

high-quality evidence and strategies provided by involved professionals – are the best driving

force for change in the prevention paradigm. The questions now are - How did this change

happen? Which factors have contributed? Which were the key successful components? Is

this an isolated example (in a specific region/community and its characteristics) or could it be

replicated in other regions/communities?

This compilation of case studies is an example of how some of the preventive actions led by

parents’ organisations in Mallorca and Coimbra have evolved. In all of these activities,

parents’ organisations were the key prevention agents that made them possible.

In the case of Mallorca, the participants in preventive actions have undergone significant

changes in the past three years. They went from accepting a prevention model focused on

the implementation of programmes (most of which are not standardised or with limited

evidence of effectiveness), to being the main actors of a prevention model which takes into

account individual characteristics of those involved in the implementation, and the major

challenge of promoting collaborative networked actions among people and organisations.

Why? What has worked?

In which

circumstances?

In which context?

Who led the

change?

This model enhances collective intelligence through co-management and co-production

that resulted in different solutions with social impact at municipal level.

This shift has shown that a quantum leap is needed in how we are making prevention. We

should start setting aside outdated and obsolete initiatives based on speeches and “school

for parents” with parents as mere receivers of the trainings. Parents should be the leaders of

this change. The FERYA model establishes that its effectiveness relies on shared visions and

paths in prevention across different groups. It has to be among prevention professionals,

policy makers and stakeholders, and above all, civil society representatives directly affected

by the issue intended to prevent.

In this new paradigm, knowing how to proceed is essential. The joint responsibility in creating

and managing this procedure is what allows implementing and consolidating preventive

strategies in particular spaces and contexts. This is the knowledge that we want to pass on

with the following case studies. These are real experiences and examples, described shortly,

which highlight the main factors that have contributed to active prevention.

These case studies gather the first steps towards change. These short exciting stories should

encourage people to join this initiative. The new paradigm called netarchy (a new

organisational structure based on networked collaboration) needs theorisation, consolidation

and continuity through its responsible and sustainable development over time.

Its development is based on the leadership of people with clear objectives, who work

interconnected, and with the skills and courage to break ground and lead changes to

prevent risks that affect children and young people. This also relies on the professionals that

play a part in it, by providing theoretical and empirical knowledge and by assisting with the

analysis and with building interconnections and links.

In these case studies, the steps taken, the actions developed and the links established are all

described, as examples of collective intelligence. These experiences should make us aware

of the wide range of possibilities in a networked community that would normally not be

considered.

These cases and their main characters are not only important as examples in replicating

initiatives, but mostly they are of interest in showing how they proceeded and how to move

forward. With this in mind, each case study shows the lessons learned from what was

experienced.

In the case of Portugal, the participants have just started to implement the model and so the

repercussion at a community level may be less visible than in Spain. However, two case

studies sharing the initiatives they have undertaken, have been also collected and included

on the report.

The EPOPS (Empowering Parents Organizations to Prevent Substance use) started in Portugal

in October 2017, as a way to start to implement and evaluate FERYA project in this country.

This was quite a major challenge for them, since their culture on family prevention is quite

oriented to problem-solving rather than health promotion. Still in these two years several

activities, presentations, lobby and trainings have occurred. From these efforts two case

studies are presented which represent two different initiatives from Parents Organizations.

J.A. (case 1) and P.A. (case 2), and other mother from several Parent´s Associations, met the

project EPOPS (Empowering Parents Organizations to Prevent Substance use) through an

invitation of IREFREA Portugal in June 2018, and had the opportunity to participate in a

workshop with prevention experts from IREFREA Portugal, and the Nursing School of Coimbra.

In these sessions these mothers were sensitized to the increased consumption of licit and illicit

substances among children and young people in the city of Coimbra. Coimbra is a university

city with a very intense nightlife, so the presented statistics about increasing risk behavior had

to ring the bell for any educator.

We strongly believe that a road is being built, and new perspectives on community

engagement and community involvement are going to take place. We are one step ahead

on family prevention with the development of FERYA.

The sum up of these activities was very positive. We get the expectation and the sense that

the network is really starting to grow. A commitment was done by this PA to continue this

work, and to bring it to other schools, to where their children will follow as they grow.

We often consider that we cannot take action in our own environment and that our society is

static and determined by a system of values and norms, or by a fixed economic and political

management. However, parents that want to participate actively in the community; they

display a significant change of perspective; that change is a constant and that our

involvement can transform one’s reality. Each one of us should play a role in it and have the

skills to connect with others and share common objectives towards change.

It is not easy to make these changes visible, since they do not occur immediately. They take

place in the long term within a process, and this should not be the reason for not getting

involved. Despite the limitations found, the parents that lead these case studies had

overcome them and they have worked together as families to improve their children’s future.

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CASE STUDIES · OCTOBER 2019

• Case STUDy 1 - Mallorca

Parents’ association coordinating

committee in Mallorca

EVOLUTION is an algorithm; it is an ALL-PURPOSE FORMULA for innovation

(Eric Beinhocker, 2007).

HOW IT ALL STARTED

n 2016, during a General Meeting of FAPA (Federation of School Parents’ Associations) in

Mallorca, it was pointed out that parents’ associations usually work in an isolated and independent

way. This remark was followed up by the need to enhance communication with the purpose of

joining efforts and sharing experiences, resources and projects. Decentralising the management

of FAPA Mallorca was also suggested to optimise resources such as the amount of time available

for volunteering in parents’ associations (APIMA).

At that time, the Board of Directors of parents’ associations spent their time mostly in innovating,

preparing activities and resources, and maintaining their relationship with the local

administrations to resolve problematic situations when needed. When efforts are shared, synergies

are made. Joining efforts releases positive changes that can benefit all parties.

Before 2016, initiatives were in place to coordinate parents’ associations from within each

organisation, from different municipalities.

Prior to 2016, initiatives were in place to coordinate each parents’ association within its

organisation and in several areas. Some aimed to address a common problem, such as building

a new high school in Alcudia; other initiatives were driven by individuals, who believed in the

advantages of networking (P. V. in Marratxi or F. T. in Pollença). However, in both cases, the

coordinating committee only stayed for the time it took to solve these problems and according to

the availability of the person that started the activity.

The whole is more than the

SUM of the parts:

teamwork enhances power,

bonds and motivation.

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OCTOBER 2019 · CASE STUDIES

Parents consider this as an important barrier for

community involvement and participation.

In 2017, FAPA Mallorca managers saw the potential

need of creating a coordinating committee and began

designing a project proposal to be presented at the

General Meeting. At that time, they counted on the

experience of having two coordinators (in Pollença and

sa Pobla). In the first meeting, the leaders of parents’

associations who were interested in starting a

coordinating group were identified and they began

working together.

This idea was conceived from the beginning as an

organic and functional network that minimises all

organisational aspects that could hinder the project, as

well as to promote proximity among the participants by

encouraging relationships and communication among

them.

Since the launch of this initiative, at each parents’

association meeting, the FAPA Representative (FR)

became responsible for connecting the associations. It

was essential that parents’ associations representatives

could see all the possibilities of coordinating with their

neighbours (municipality or neighbourhood), as well as with other geographically close

associations, to achieve an Inter-APIMA coordination. With this purpose, the FR explained the

project during these meetings. The strategy was that, during the break, the representatives could

approach the FR and ask for more information. At that time, the FR would try to motivate and link

them, making them see the advantages offered by this initiative. Likewise, it was an opportunity to

clarify doubts about the most frequent obstacles: the additional time and effort to be dedicated

by those who coordinate an Inter-APIMA group.

These APIMA groupings are framed in the FERYA programme (Familias en Red y Activas),

coordinated by the European project EPOPS (Empowering Parents Organization to Prevent

Substance use).

The commitment of FAPA

Mallorca is to ENSURe the CONTINUITY

of the coordinators, regardless of

the personal initiatives or short-term

motivations that may arise

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FERYA participants are invited to take on the challenge of collaborating with other people and

associations. For many family organisations, working in a project of this magnitude is still unknown

territory. Therefore, it should be considered as a space for knowledge and learning, necessary to

evolve towards a more trained and better managed organisation. The FERYA programme has

helped these family organisations to value their network and understand that they can evolve

towards an empowered organisation.

THE SECRETS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

fter many attempts, the experience of the FR has been fruitful and has managed to engage

those responsible for parents’ associations. When someone intends to get involved, it is

important to make sure that the project is understood. That is why examples of the existing

coordinators are used and real experiences are explained with their results and

advantages. The key is to make clear to the coordinators of these associations that this task

does not require as much effort as it may seem.

Coordination depends on a member of each parents’ association which agrees to be part of a

WhatsApp group. This group consists of members of the Coordinating committee. In addition, there

should always be a person moderating the group and managing the information sent to them.

These are the three levels:

1.

2.

3.

Although the FR has tried to make contacts in different ways (by phone call, email or in person),

results have not always been achieved. The best result when questions and planning were agreed

face to face. Communication is basic, because motivating to participate requires following-up

initiatives. In this case, by talking with parents’ associations representatives, the FR creates a

relationship of trust with them. This strategy was the one that has worked best so far.

Until now, the strategy has been to show the advantages of getting together. The main issue is

that the person representing one of these associations in an Inter-APIMA coordinator should be in

a WhatsApp group, to receive and send information. The moderator has to manage two groups,

which requires effort. Since FAPA is aware of this problem, they try to make the communication flow

among the group.

FAPA has undertaken the challenge of creating links between associations throughout the island

of Mallorca. They have assumed the challenge of building a collaborative network.

Extra-APIMA (the coordinators of Inter-APIMA and FAPA).

Inter-APIMA (a small group of geographically close APIMA)

Intra-APIMA (APIMA itself)

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FAPA


HOW MANY PARENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS

ARE REPRESENTED IN MALLORCA?

has created an

organisational system

illustrated in the following map, which shows

the location of the schools of the island.

Green dots represent public elementary

schools; the state-subsidised ones are the

orange dots. Nursery schools appear in light

green and special education schools in blue.

On the other hand, the red dots represent high schools. The shaded areas in green indicate each

of the areas in which an Inter-APIMA already operates. On the other hand, the orange areas are

those that are in the process of creating this type of network. Finally, the blue zones are the regions

in which it is planned to create an Inter-APIMA.

In the summer of 2019, there were 133 parents’ associations grouped in 16 coordinating

committees, covering 39 municipalities. The biggest challenge has been Palma.

Although the coordination project is a proposal of FAPA Mallorca as a federation, the objective

is that all parents’ associations can participate in a coordinating committee, whether they are in

the federation or not, so that the group is as functional as possible.

There are areas where it has been easier to create the coordinating committee, either because

a previous group already existed or because there was already some kind of communication

between some associations, which is more frequent in small towns. The most complicated areas

are towns where several municipalities are grouped in the same high school (Porreres, Montuïri or

Vilafranca, for example).

Sa Pobla is an example where a

coordinating committee was created,

prior to the FAPA Mallorca project.

Thanks to the initiative of a single person,

a very structured coordination was

created, with its own statutes,

membership card and with the local

businesses and Town Hall involved. For

the FAPA Mallorca project, this

association was very useful, being is a

clear example of optimal and effective

functioning, which we hope will not be

compromised in the future, when the

person who took the initiative will be re-

placed.

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CONSEQUENCES

n isolated parents’ association may feel helpless when facing objectives, but when it joins

other nearby associations, it allows collaboration and develop its full potential. When

creating these committees, it has been observed that there were municipalities where the

families of the different schools did not even know each other. Nowadays, this is changing.

It is essential that the coordinators collect information on the consequences of acting together.

This allows them to share their experiences to other groups. Some have discovered that, when they

are act and demand solutions together to the City Council for solutions, they get the attention

needed.

The same happens when they organise trainings. A person in charge of each Inter-APIMA

communicates with those responsible for the rest of the island (Extra-APIMA) through the

coordination of FAPA Mallorca. Thus, the coordinators can conduct interesting activities and

exchange resources. The collaboration must have a common purpose.

FAPA has designed and implemented these coordinating committees, which has led to an

improvement in collaboration, essential to achieve common objectives. Most of them have to do

with the prevention of risks in minors. Family organisations that have set this goal have learned that

collaboration is only a first step, but it is essential if they want prevention to be effective.

FUTURE CHALLENGES

urrently, FAPA plans to hold a meeting with the heads of each Extra-APIMA coordinator with

different objectives. On the one hand, to thank them for their work. On the other, they would

like to know about the difficulties they have encountered and find ways to help them. These people

are a fundamental part of the project, so it is important that to make them feel that they can count

on the support of the Federation. This meeting has to motivate them on continuing their task.

The process began in 2017, with the EPOPS programme, M. A. G. (FAPA) and M. V. (parents’

association representative). With the support of its Board of Directors, both have managed to

rebuild the island map in two years. They have managed to get parents’ associations to start

joining the federation and have made visible the connections.

The goal is to evolve towards a new cohesive paradigm, among families and communities. So

far, a process has begun in Mallorca, seeking improvements in the organisation and

empowerment of families, and there is still a long way to go.

The key to the success of the FAPA is its boldness, they have took a risk and united people,

parents, and, by creating the coordinators of parents’ associations and they have established a

new management system. With the support of the FERYA programme, they have managed to

transfer new visions and skills within the parents’ association: the chance on leading prevention

initiatives and highlighting the importance of the organisations to influence politically.

Being in a coordinating committee means never being alone.

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FAPA members define the coordinating committee as:

• An under construction process, which depends on the participation of people that can learn,

get involved and deal with some critical situations that challenges them seek for solutions.

• An opportunity for the organisations to share information and experiences fluidly, that

facilitates decision making.

✎ Lessons

learned

BUILDING the collaboration network is a process that requires

experts and trained people to create and maintain relationships

and links, and attract more stakeholders.

The main PURPOSE is to create a good COMMUNICATION sys-

tem that allows those responsible for parents’ associations to

perceive that they are connected with others.

There is a daily task that involves sharing objectives and

experiences.

Certain ATTITUDES are disabling. By assuming responsibilities

and a proactive attitude, these can be overcome. Complaints

must be turned into actions.

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• Case STUDy 2

Families lead the intervention

against UNDERAGE binge drinking

(botellón) in ALCUDIA

BACKGROUND

ome say that we must seize opportunities because they are rare. The story explained here

describes a rare chance that took place in the Port d’Alcudia (Mallorca) in June 2018.

During the past two decades, every year on one night in June, the area of the beach of Port

d’Alcudia becomes the meeting point of thousands of young people from different towns of

Mallorca. They meet to celebrate the end of the academic year by binge drinking in this public area

(botellón).

These underaged young people get organised to attend that event. Through social networks,

they agree when it will take place, usually on a Friday night. They rent buses to get there from their

towns and they meet late in the afternoon. While some book a table in nearby restaurants, others

go directly to the beach bringing their own meals. Those older than 16, who go to restaurants,

usually go clubbing afterwards. Meanwhile the younger ones, who cannot enter nightlife venues,

go directly to the beach party. They carry bags with alcohol, soda and snacks. This type of party

lasts all night, until dawn, like an annual tradition.

In the past 5 years, the POQIB (Platform for a Quality Leisure of the Balearic Islands) had its eyes

on this tradition. They did not ban the celebration or having fun, but they were worried about the

amount of alcohol that most adolescents consumed, as well as the related harms involved:

alcohol intoxications, aggressions and accidents, among many others. The participants were

between 12 and 17 years old, although the average age is getting lower, according to the

police. Since older youngsters do not want to join them since they consider them “children”, they

have taken up other spaces, such as discos.

Thus, from the POQIB, the permissiveness of the institutions and the community has been

questioned for a long time with the celebration of this party, as if it is no one’s responsibility nor

could it be regulated. However, the local police have been organising for years to supervise the

occurrence of other mishaps arising from alcohol consumption and overcrowding. In addition, the

mayor asked for police reinforcements from other municipalities, which reached the National

Police.

Another concern was that there had been an increase of adult men in the surroundings of this

macro-party, which required an increase in police presence, to prevent thefts and sexual assaults.

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MULTIPLE PREVENTIVE ACTION

n 20th March 2018, at the end of the plenary meeting of the POQIB, the representative of the

FAPA (Federation of Parents’ Associations) raised the need to act jointly before the Alcúdia

botellón. He warned that, although alcohol consumption in minors was known, no effective

preventive measures had been taken. Thanks to his intervention, the head of the ISPIB

(Institute of Public Safety of the Balearic Islands), and coordinator of the Police Mentoring

Programme, both proposed a specific meeting on this event.

The meeting took place two weeks later, on April 5th 2018. The Safety Officer explained in detail

how the botellón was going on and how the youth were getting organised. The willingness to

intervene together was slowly becoming a reality. The Ministry of Education launched a proposal to

inform and reach all families, and FAPA expressed its full agreement with the activation of other

complementary measures. The response was widespread, all experts present at the meeting planned

on how to act and get support from their institutions.

FAPA proposed to send a letter to the families of those adolescents who were more likely to attend

the event. A representative of CONVIVEXIT (Institute for Coexistence and Educational Success, of the

Department of Education) was the one who found the way to reach these families: they would send

the letter to all the directors of high schools (IES), so that they were the ones to distribute it. Finally, the

ISPIB representative, R. C. proposed to involve the Alcúdia City Council by inviting the mayor to

participate.

The second meeting, held on May 8th at the Ministry of Health, was attended by the mayor of

Alcudia along with a local police officer. The network continued to grow, as the FAPA representative,

M. A. G., as well as several policy makers from Education, Safety, Health and Youth, among others,

were also there.

The first step was to explain to the mayor about the situation and the measures that were going

to be implemented in the municipalities of the northern area of Mallorca, where adolescents and

young people were the ones most likely to attend the Alcudia party.

Since he shared the vision about the seriousness of the problem, the mayor expressed his interest

and its involvement on the preventive action, and thanked the willingness to provide solutions. In

addition, he showed his support for the decisions that had been made.

To begin with, measures

were agreed to strengthen the

legislation on the sale of

alcohol, in order to overcome

the gap between regulations

and actual consumption by

minors in public spaces.

Likewise, it was proposed to

increase the inspection of

premises and awareness

campaigns, especially in

establishments that sell alcohol.

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Finally, the relevance of publicly disseminating the project was addressed, through a meeting at

the City Council to which all mayors of the nearby municipalities would be invited, so that they

would be informed about the problem and the proposed measures.

On May 22nd, the meeting convened by the mayor at the Alcudia City Council was held.

Representatives of 28 institutions from 21 municipalities attended, from the areas of Education,

Safety, Health and Civil Society, among others.

.

Only one family representative attended, since

they cannot participate if it overlaps their work

schedules. However, their presence was relevant to

show that the problem of alcohol consumption in

minors outweighs families, so acting collectively

was needed with everybody assuming their

responsibilities, especially from the local bodies of

government.

Safety officers also attended and showed their

total support of the measures to be implemented.

In addition, they reported that the botellón would

take place on June 8th. Those responsible for

educational institutions also agreed with the

proposals. On the other hand, the media present in

the meeting agreed to publish and disseminate the

agreements made.

Consequently, after that meeting, several sec-

tors and groups began to develop the multiple

initiatives that had been announced the next

day in the local press.

These actions had a broad reach, involving 27

schools in 10 municipalities, where most of the

adolescents participating in the Alcudia bottle

are enrolled. Following the agreement,

CONVIVEXIT sent a letter prepared by FAPA

addressed to the families, which sought to raise

awareness of the health risks of this party, with the

intention of joining efforts. In addition, the mayor

issued a public announcement, which reminded

establishments of the prohibition of selling

alcohol to minors.

The ISPIB, through the Police Mentoring

Programme delivered speeches in schools of 8

municipalities, in a total of 69 classrooms,

reaching approximately 1,700 students.

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The FERYA / EPOPS team, along with 16 parents’ associations from 6 municipalities, organised

meetings with families focused on preventive actions. It is essential that families pursue these

actions so their responsibility was emphasized.

Many of these preventive initiatives were disseminated through media channels of the Balearic

Islands, (radio, television and press), reaching an even larger population. From the POQIB, the sup-

port of all the sectors involved was appreciated.

WHAT HAPPENED ON JUNE 8th 2018

IN THE ALCUDIA BOTELLÓN?

he initiative was a success: the botellón was not celebrated since the students did not binge

drink at the beach and all that without the party being banned. What happened was that

the prohibition of selling alcohol to minors was enforced.

There was a still a celebration, but in restaurants of the town. There, the young people did not

carry bags with alcohol or drink on the streets, unlike other years. The image of drunk and

intoxicated youth with that of that year was surely a huge difference. In addition, the civic

behaviour of young people in Port d’Alcudia was exemplary. The local police calculated that, in

comparison with other calls, there was a smaller inflow of people, without the night ceasing to be

festive and cheerful. From 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., preventive controls were implemented and,

during that time, noteworthy incidents were:

• The Police practiced breathalyser tests and only identified 17 minors, who had consumed

alcohol. A notification was sent to their families, delivered by an agent.

• They identified 4 adolescents with low-level alcohol intoxication, so their families were called

to come pick them up.

• The behaviour of the young people throughout the night was very civic, they did not carry

drinks and there were no fights; even a minor found a wallet with money and returned it to

the police

On July 11th, this intervention was closed with a meeting of the POQIB group that had initiated

the coordinated strategy. The conclusion was that a successful experience was achieved. It was a

starting point that could be repeated, improved and adapted to other municipalities where popular

festivals encourage minors to consume alcohol. Alcudia’s experience shows that prevention, when

it is of quality, multisector and collaborative, does work. The keys to success were networked actions,

co-produced by the most involved social sectors.

What was the essential factor to overcome this challenge? Collaboration between groups,

people and strategies. The organised families were the ones who pushed the Administrations to

act. Thus, they got the municipal commitment to enforce the law and they got the industry

involved, and coordinated actions with the educational area. All this was also possible due to

the family organisations, the ones who promoted and sustained the entire strategy.

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✎

Lessons

learned

Prevention through coalitions works, when there are optimal

conditions to collaborate, with people prepared for it.

Involved people in prevention should know how to collaborate.

MUNICIPAL leaders (experts and politicians) MUST UNDERTAKE

a paradigm shift to start collaborating in prevention.

Communication has a double direction: the hierarchical

importance is determined by the achievement of the objectives,

not by the role one has.

The ownership of SUCCESS by some sectors is a sensitive

ISSUE and needs to be addressed.

Family participation has been CRUCIAL and yet they are not

integrated as a decisive entity in the preventive challenge. This

must change

The dissemination of good practices remains a challenge.

The media still do not see the importance of collaboration. It seems

that this good news is not relevant

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• Case STUDy 3

A LEISURe model for

the MUNICIPALITY of Pollença

hen you throw a stone in a quiet pond or into a lake, a nice circular wave emerges on the

surface of the water. Not only where the stone dipped is moved, but also bigger waves are

created. The same happens in prevention, each action leaves a mark with a lasting effect

During the spring of 2018, the FERYA / EPOPS team visited seven municipalities of the northern area

of Mallorca, trying to mobilise families to act against the botellón in Alcudia. On June 5th this type

of intervention also reached the municipality of Pollença. 25 people gathered, including a

councillor of the City Council, aware of this situation.

The meeting of this councillor with the FAPA representative was very fruitful. Both shared the

concern for the municipality’s youth leisure model.

The councillor wished for

municipality changes in

adolescents’ model of leisure

with immediate effects on those

that already had developed risk

behaviours. The councillor

wanted to know how to act and

find solutions to the problem of

many minors: having fun using

alcohol and other drugs, which

also leads to other risk

behaviours.

The councillor already had some solutions in mind: for example, she wanted to hire two social

educators. In addition, she had the support of the mayor who had attended the Alcudia City

Council meeting on the same problem a few weeks earlier, who was also moved by the

commitment that families had shown.

The councillor and the representative of FAPA discussed the issue and possible solutions, both in

person and by phone call. Representatives of parents’ associations of the area also joined the

discussion, organised by the Inter-APIMA Coordinating committee. As the discussion evolved, the

councillor was increasingly getting involved and motivated. The representative of FAPA helped her

rethink the idea that the solution could come only from two professionals, since the situation was

more complex. He also added that, since these experts usually follow political guidelines, there is a

risk that their work will be interrupted by the handover of elected positions.

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This entails the elaboration of a plan, which foresees strategies in both the short and medium term,

and the implementation of new and tailored solutions.

After a few months, the councillor asked for a quick and pragmatic solution. Given that in

April 2019 her term in the City Council would end, she could not guarantee to be re-elected. The

families sent their point of view at the meetings. The common objective was to reduce the

consumption of alcohol in minors, but this could not be achieved with isolated actions.

Preventing substance use among adolescents is a big challenge. Consequently, the

responsibility cannot fall on two social educators alone. According to the representative of the

families, the solution should be collaborative involving different collectives, especially that of the

families. The proposals would have to be elaborated inquiring politicians, families, young people

and experts, in which they could plan together how to act.

SETTING UP THE PROJECT

n autumn 2018, some activities were

scheduled as a result of several meetings of

family representatives with the Pollença City

Council. To develop them, support from IREFREA

(Europe- an Institute for Studies in Prevention)

was also taken into account. FAPA, in

collaboration with IREFREA, proposed to the

councillor a plan with the next steps.

FAPA’s proposal was to conduct a needs

assessment study to diagnose the problem. This

study had to go beyond mere data collection.

The FAPA suggested a plan that would increase

participation of people interested in the

municipality. Most importantly, it would involve

the young people themselves. In addition, the

study had a double objective: on one hand, to

gather information; and on the other, to detect

which people and organisations would really

be interested in participating.

The City Council adopted this strategy and, in

January 2019, provided it with financial resources.

That same month, the programme began to be

implemented, with the commitment to end the

study in April.

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In an initial meeting with the representatives of FAPA and the

members of the Inter-APIMA Coordinating committee of

Pollença, the plan was explained, with its objectives and

plan. They were asked for collaboration in order to conduct

a complete and participatory study. During the meeting, fear

arose that the work carried out would not have continuity in

the next term, due to the usual post-election changes in the

City Council. Therefore, it was proposed to request the

participation of parents’ associations in a municipal plenary

session, to request the commitment of all political groups and

thus give continuity to the conclusions of the study, in order

that improvements in the youth leisure could stay on the long

term.

In four months, FAPA, with the support of IREFREA

professionals, got 624 people to participate; in Pollença

about 16,000 inhabitants are registered.

Representatives of 48 municipal entities were surveyed and 31 interviews were conducted with

representatives and experts related to leisure and the social fields.

Two discussions were also held with the families, in which 135 people participated; two debates

in two high schools, in which 35 students participated; an online survey for students, with 357

answers; and several interviews with young people, while having fun in unregulated leisure spaces

at night.

The set of information was analysed and collated in a report. Family representatives assessed

the information and included some proposals. The document was delivered to the City Council on

April 23rd and its presentation was requested in the next plenary meeting so that the proposals

could get approved.

This happened on April 30, 2019 in a plenary meeting of the City Council, the last one of that term.

The first point of the agenda was about the proposal to undertake the development of a Municipal

Leisure Plan. Here, the report prepared by family organisations with the support of IREFREA was

presented. A representative of the Pollença families explained the results and proposals, which

reflected the need to focus attention on the group of adolescents and young people.

In the City Council, all political groups, as well as the population as a whole, were asked to take

part in the plan with first objective to develop a quality leisure plan for young people. The POP

(Pollença Leisure Plan) should be the result of a coordinated community co-production, in which

families are represented, as well as prevention experts and other relevant professionals.

From that last plenary meeting, the approval of the proposal and the unanimous commitment of

the political representatives to carry it out in the next term came out. On May 26th 2019, there were

municipal elections and a new government was elected. We look forward to seeing how the story

continues.

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✎ Lessons

learned

Two main lessons can be drawn from this case study:

• The City COUNCIL contacted and hired the families to lead

the STUDY and relied on them to find out how the situation could

be resolved and who should participate. In this way, family

organisations became direct contacts with the authority to

negotiate; with criteria to direct the development of a research

process with the support of social experts; with skills to involve

different groups; and, above all, with the capacity to design future

proposals that they are willing to develop. It is a promising radical

change.

• The FOCUS has been on the LEISURe model. Throughout the

entire collaborative process, the FERYA / EPOPS team has

identified as one of the keys in prevention the importance of

analysing the way to have fun, because nowadays it has mostly

focused on the consumption of alcohol and other drugs. Putting

leisure as the focus of the debate has allowed young people to

be seen as a socially helpless group with very few opportunities,

resources and knowledge to manage their leisure needs. Leisure

is an invisible space where many young people are engaged in

risky practices, following social norms and trends that can harm

them, without the protection of their families and their municipality.

Thanks to the report prepared by the FERYA / EPOPS team, this

reality has been uncovered.

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Other

relevant

lessons:

✎

• The contagion effect. There are people who share and

transfer ideas. When they have influence, they get ideas to

expand to other contexts. In this case, the mayor of Pollença

was encouraged thanks to the Alcudia effect.

• Those responsible for making political decisions have

BEGUN to change their way of doing things. Although they

accept the participation of the most involved groups, it still

occurs marginally. Pollença City Council relied on FAPA to lead

the proposal.

• To address a problem, YOU have to know the informa-

tion provided by the experts. The FAPA has a network of

experts with whom they share initiatives and work in coalition to

explore the situation of leisure in the municipality.

• Political INSTITUTIONS are STRUCTURed in a way that com-

MUNICATION needed to solve problems does not flow.

During the exploration process, local institutional fragmentation

was revealed, making it difficult to deal with issues in a shared

manner.

• The MUNICIPAL network can be rEBUILT, restored and

strengthened, provided that people are involved in issues

revolving common objectives. In this case, civil society’s

involvement is crucial to rebuild the links.

• Family organisations, when acting together, can

mobilise many MUNICIPAL actors, as they have a shared

purpose and the support of professionals.

• To work on preventing risks in YOUNG people means

tackling LEISURe time.

• YOUTH participation remains a challenge. It is difficult to

involve them in issues that affect them. It may be a matter of

education: they should be taught how to engage and the

relevance it has in their lives.

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• Case STUDy 4

ROUND table DISCUSSION in Andratx

« o actively involve parents in prevention, social capital must be created. Work to get to know you.

If they do not know you, if they do not trust, they do not participate»

This is a statement by G. Burkhart, responsible for prevention at the EMCCDA (European

Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction). His words are the basis of any effective

collaborative relationship

E. K. is a young mum with a great social awareness. This led her to participate in the FERYA /

EPOPS workshop in January 2018. During the workshop, she asked the group a question: «What do I

do here if I have three young children? There is much talk about alcohol prevention here, and mine

are still very young».

Despite her doubts, E. K. stayed throughout the workshop. Firstly, because she was aware that

the objective of the project was to promote prevention, and this should be put into practice be-

fore the problems arise. Likewise, I understood that leisure management is crucial as a strategy.

However, something else caught her attention and encouraged her to stay in the workshop both

days. She enjoyed the dynamics and debates in which parents shared stories and their concerns.

In addition, she enjoyed when they developed solutions to their concerns. However, the solutions

seemed odd to her: to unite families; to coordinate parents’ associations; to participate in

municipal political initiatives; to get involved in the management of the schools, etc. Until that

moment, it had not occurred to her that something like that could come true.

After the workshop, E. K. returned to s’Arracó, a town in the municipality of Andratx (Mallorca).

In two weeks, she contacted the City Council, the presidents of the four local parents’ associations,

the Policía Tutor programme and with the director of the high school that her children will attend.

Thanks to her initiative, she obtained a fact that seemed very significant: in the municipality

there was no PMD (Municipal Plan on Drugs), and there was no intention to promote it by the head

of the City Council, who considered that «Minors’ alcohol use is normal, it is part of partying and

the culture. Everyone does it, you have to accept it».

However, the director of the IES and the police informed her that, in the municipality, there was

a high level of consumption in adolescents, with alcohol intoxications in the local festivities. In

addition, the town had a sad past, as it was already known in the 80s for being where heroin was

consumed in Spain. E. K. realized that, within a few years, her children would find a leisure model

that would encourage them to consume alcohol, among other addictive substances.

She recalled the premise of the FERYA programme of seeking collaborative solutions. That led her

to the next step: she contacted the four parents’ associations of the municipality. In doing so, she

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perceived that among them they were disconnected and that they had not raised the problem of

substance use and leisure.

Therefore, after that first exploration, E. K. contacted the FAPA (Federation of Parents’

Associations) and requested support to develop initiatives to prevent the risks that her children

would face and those of many other families.

IN ACTION

n February 2018, a first meeting was held with the FERYA / EPOPS team, in which possible

initiatives were assessed. In the first place, it was decided to organise a round table discussion

in the municipality to jointly assess the situation. The press would be invited, the parents’

associations would be united and trying to change the councillor’s mind on developing a PMD

were suggested

In that same meeting, the plan was launched. E. K. led the entire process: one person, with the

support of FAPA and IREFREA, part of the FERYA / EPOPS team. She also mobilised the people of her

municipality. All contacts, ideas and strategies were conceived by a single mother, motivated and

convinced that taking action was needed.

During the organization process, dissemination posters and questions about the objectives

and strategies were prepared, in order to raise awareness and involve the most influential people

in the municipality.

On March 6th, the round table discussion was held. E. K. had never taken a stage or led a

meeting with agents and experts. She felt tense and insecure, because she was a critical person

who understood the complexity of the matter, but she knew that it was necessary to go step by

step, and that was a starting point in which people involved were going to value the issue and

propose what they were willing to do. She also knew that the process could end there, in a meeting,

if nothing else was done later.

Several documents were distributed among the team members that reflected the network of

people who supported the initiative. E. K. had to act as the main leader, since she was the one who

had connected all the people and had undertaken the action on getting different organisations

together in one meeting. E. K. had transferred the information to the members of the parents’

association of her primary school. Some still saw the problem as something far away and that

there was no need to worry at the time.

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Others gave her support and knew that the focus had

to be put on leisure management, in learning and

teaching children how to have fun.

On the night of March 6th, about 30 people at-

tended the meeting. 6 experts also participated, who

explained information from different areas to open the

debate on the problem. For an hour, data were

presented confirming the need to act to prevent

youngsters from consuming alcohol and other drugs.

However, although solutions were exposed, the

commitment necessary to carry them out was not

visible. Of course, on this occasion, the head of the City

Council admitted that the municipality needed a

PMD. Parents’ associations were encouraged to

continue working together, to remain united in

prevention and to collaborate in the creation of the

PMD.

Beliefs and comments pointed towards not

effective traditional preventive actions were

observed: to deliver speeches to teenagers, to

educate young people or to blame families, among

others. It became clear that there were still difficulties

in analysing the issue from the multiple

responsibilities, especially the City Council’s role of

regulating and enforcing the legislation in this

regard. Nor was the responsibility of the local industry

considered when it comes to promoting parties and

leisure spaces where alcohol is encouraged as an

element of fun.

SLOWLY BUT SURELY

he summer of 2018, the parents’ association with which E. K. was participating, launched the

initiative to create in its town a playroom, a place where children and their families could play

and share experiences. She contacted a financial institution that supported social programmes;

she negotiated the use of an available premise, asked for a financial aid to the City Council, and

spoke with the schools’ representatives about the possibility of having that space. E. K. achieved

both: the place and the money to open the playroom, which was used to buy shelves, cushions,

books, games and other materials.

Thus, the 2018-2019 academic year began with a new resource in s’Arracó.

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E. K. is still active; she knows that her children will soon reach adolescence and that she cannot

stop participating. There are still many things to change to move her children, and those of other

families, away from a leisure model based on alcohol use and related risk behaviours. Now, she

also knows that by encouraging another leisure model means new chances.

✎

Lessons

learned

• A single person UNDERSTANDING the importance of

creating social capital and acts accordingly is enough to

achieve objectives. If, in addition, this person is not alone and

counts on an active and collaborative group, their potential is

immeasurable.

• Prevention is politics. The reduction of inequalities in public

health implies a political agenda.

• The risks that affect YOUNG people are everyone’s

BUSIness, not just parents with teenagers. Eventually, our young

children grow up and, if not acted upon, the risks of today will be

those of tomorrow.

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• Case STUDy 5

ROUND table DISCUSSION

at IES Llompart high school in Palma

hree mothers from two schools in the northern area of the city of Palma met during the FERYA

workshop of January 2018. They shared a great concern about students’ alcohol and

cannabis consumption. However, although they had warned the school management

teams and other parents, no support was received. In the workshop, they understood both

the seriousness of alcohol consumption and also its normalisation. Certainly, preventing it is

a public health priority. In addition, the workshop reported that this prevention, the way it is

usually done, is not effective. If families did not act together, it would be much more difficult

to change preventive actions. On the other hand, if they began to take part, many more

possibilities of improving the context would open up.

They started to develop a strategy to improve things. They decided to organise a round table

discussion with local mayors, inspired by what had been held recently in Andratx; without

forgetting that Palma is a larger municipality, with half a million inhabitants, whose political

structure is much more complex. In addition, the city’s nightlife model is one of the main tourist

attractions.

They saw potential obstacles. On one hand, the City Council of Palma promotes and organises

many festivities attended by young people from other municipalities. On the other hand, alcohol

consumption in young people is an unattractive issue: very few people value it as a problem and

most consider it as a normal part of adolescence. Social tolerance is at its maximum regarding

this matter.

Thus, the three of them, determined to activate this type of prevention, knew that they needed

to attract attention, create a network of allies. In short, they knew that they had to look out for

support. They were aware that asking politicians to stop drinking alcohol at parties, or to intervene in

certain spaces or simply enforce the law was not going to lead them to the change they wanted.

Most likely, politicians said yes to all initiatives and then did nothing. What could they do then?

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STEP BY STEP

round table discussion has the aim to engage

politicians publicly. It has to be considered as a needed

step within a long-term process. In addition, the table

would also teach the school management teams that

parents were able to organise prevention activities.

Likewise, it would encourage the participation of the

students of the two high schools. They thought that if

they managed to create a discussion, make visible the

alcohol consumption problem and compromise policy

makers - all of this would contribute to shape wider

initiatives in the near future.

With these goals in mind, the three mothers launched

the initiative. Students from nearby municipalities also

attended these high schools, so three mayors were

invited, in addition to the mayor of Palma.

In a meeting held on March 12th, the action plan

was designed between the heads of the two parents’ associations, FAPA and IREFREA. From that

moment on, a three-month process began in which strategic decisions were organised, planned

and coordinated. The date, the title, the guests and the distribution of the organisation and

dissemination tasks were specified in the plan, in order to achieve greater impact.

The first step was to present the initiative to the management of the two high schools. It was

requested to held the round table discussion in one of them; finally, they opted for the IES Josep

Maria Llompart high school. Conducting a survey among its students was proposed to the

management team, to know about their substance use and get them involved in the interpretation

and assessment of the results.

With the support of IREFREA professionals, the questionnaire and methodology were prepared.

The mothers talked with the teachers to encourage their students to respond. During a month, be-

tween mid-March and mid-April 2018, students responded the survey online. Finally, 563 students

between 12 and 17 years old participated. The information was analysed and a presentation pre-

pared. The IREFREA team, the most involved mothers and some of the students would present the

data in the round table. An infographic was also prepared to be disseminated.

Thus, the four mayors of the municipalities with students of two high schools (Palma, Esporles,

Bunyola and Puigpunyent) were invited to participate. Several media channels and the person in

charge of the Police Mentoring Programme were contacted (police officers trained as mediators

and with a preventive responsibility in schools).

The three mothers involved, with the help of members of parents’ association, assumed the

leadership and it was totally a new experience for them. However, this effort differed between the

two centres. At IES Llompart, two mothers shared discussions and ideas with the management

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team on how to deal with the issue

of alcohol consumption, involving

the entire educational

community. Teachers contributed

to the implementation of the

online survey, planning more

future actions and their follow-up.

On the other hand, in the IES Son

Pacs, the management team and

the Board of the parents’

association were not supporters of

the initiative or the survey. They

considered that there were other

more urgent issues. Despite this,

the school director attended the

round table discussion.

ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

t was held on May 3rd 2018, in

the auditorium of the IES Llompart.

It was coordinated by one of the

mothers, whose presentation

focused on the need for families

and municipalities to come

together to prevent the problem

of alcohol consumption in minors.

An IREFREA member presented the scientific results and two students presented some data from the

questionnaire that their classmates had answered. He made it clear that the students did consume

alcohol abusively. The director of the Police Mentoring Programme, three mayors and a councillor

also participated

Of course, all politicians sympathised with the

families and pledged to take action on prevention.

After their interventions, a lively debate took place

between the speakers and the attendees. There were

representatives of 22 organisations, including

neighbourhood associations and institutions such as

the Office for the Defence of Minors Rights (ODDM).

The round table was raised as a first objective to

start preventive actions, being aware that, by itself, it

would not change reality. The effects were seen later

and continue to be visible in the summer of 2019.

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The participation of the director of IES Son Pacs has made things easier for the mother who, alone,

was trying to raise awareness about the need to prevent alcohol consumption. The IES Llompart

management team, together with the parents’ association, proposed actions from the beginning

of the new academic course, aimed at involving families more and continuing to involve students.

In addition, a meeting with families and students has been scheduled.

CONSEQUENCES: THE FAMILIES OF THE 2018-2019 ACADEMIC YEAR

he parents’ association of the IES Llompart is

already active. With the new academic year,

they want to transmit to the new families the need

to commit to initiatives to prevent alcohol

consumption and other associated risks.

Therefore, a meeting with them was organised on

January 30th 2019. The idea was to present the

data obtained from the survey to encourage

them to look out for solutions.

In this meeting, the main results of the online

survey were presented. The solutions that the

participants raised were discussed and new

activities were proposed.

One of the points of the day was the presentation of the FERYA / EPOPS programme and the

strategies of networking among families and in the community. Alcohol is not the only risk that is

worrisome, so learning to do prevention is of vital importance, since in today’s world there are many

connected risks that affect minors. Everyone was invited to participate in the FERYA workshop,

scheduled for February, as well as to develop strategies with other parents’ associations.

As a result of the meeting, one of the parents published a story in the local press on February 2nd

entitled: “Their future is also in your hands” and addressed to the families, for their responsibility in the

matter. In addition, this father is an entrepreneur and is affiliated with the association of small

businesses in Mallorca (PiMEM), where he has started a process to also involve it in prevention

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THE STUDENTS OF 2018-2019

s a result of the round table, a session with the class representatives was scheduled to

present the survey data, make them participate discuss with their classmates about

possible solutions.

The meeting took place on April 10th 2019. Around 80 class representatives participated, two

for each class, as well as some teachers and family representatives. The presentation was made in

the same auditorium where the round table discussion was held the year before.

It is possible that when the results were presented to the students as a whole, initiatives could

have taken place but they are unknown to us since their evaluation requires systematic and

continuous monitoring. For now, the parents’ association has reported that there have been

difficulties for teachers to accept the data to be presented during their classes. This is another

challenge: to involve teachers more and teach students that preventing alcohol consumption is

crucial to protect their health and leisure time.

Finally, it should be noted that all the initiatives developed in this school centre had a huge

impact. In 2019, the actions and the work project were included in the report of the academic

course and got approved by the Educational Commission (CE), the highest body of the centre,

where teachers, students, the management team, families, non-teaching staff and the City

Council are represented. These initiatives were also considered in the Annual General Programme

(PGA) of the 2019-2020 academic year, to ensure its continuity and involve the CE in its evaluation.

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http://www.diariodemallorca.es/economia/

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Currently, the parents’ association is waiting for the approval of the 2019-2020 course report to

add the actions and assess the experience. Their intention is to include it in the PGA of the 2020- 2021

course, in order to continue working and improving measures that favour prevention, to coordinate

them and involve the entire educational community. Although it seems incredible, all this has been

achieved by a group of parents of the parents’ association, after three of them decided to take

action.

✎ Lessons

learned

• Families can engage and involve local leaders. It is much more

complicated to get them to act if they are not fully aware about the

problem and either the advantages of prevention.

• Each of the actions are objectives in themselves, connected with

other actions that, together, form the basis of community prevention. When

an action is scheduled, it is necessary to anticipate what consequences it

will entail when facilitating the occurrence of new initiatives.

• A single action by itself does not change reality, but a network or series

of actions directed towards the same goal can achieve a great social

impact.

• YOUTH participation is non-existent. As a group, they are not able

to visualise the impact that the use of addictive substances has on their

life and on their health.

• The changes in social patterns of CONSUMPTION in YOUNG people

should come from environmental pressures (highly aware families),

innovations in industry strategies (a leisure model oriented to substance

use and having fun) and cultural initiatives (trends).

• The involvement of teachers in prevention is another chal-

lenge. There are teachers and experts in the social field who do not see the

relationship of between the leisure model and the potential risks for young

people.

• The initiatives have a MEDIUM-LONG term effect. It is necessary to

wait a while, whether weeks, months or years, to observe the

consequences of the actions carried out, either in the form of new

initiatives or in a behavioural change

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• Case STUDy 6

YOUTH and NEIGHBOURHOODS

is a FERYA mother and is also the president of Neighbourhood Association of Secar

de la Real (a neighbourhood in northern Palma). She has a lot of experience in

being involved in associations work and in organisation management. In addition to

all this, her best quality is her empathy and her skills in creating connections. Both

features make her an excellent communicator. Maybe that is why M. V. is the

protagonist of this story.

When M. V. participated in the FERYA workshop in 2014, she fully understood the two priorities of

the programme: the need to empower family associations as part of the civil society and consider

prevention as a social strategy. From that moment on, she understood that it is the organisation

itself that has to be trained, that its members have to learn to be proactive, and creating the

conditions to act efficiently for their purposes was essential. This change was necessary, because

many parents complained but waited for others to create the right conditions. Parents’

associations can have the chance to create these conditions, provided that they develop

strategies and get their members involved with networks of other organisations - that is, whenever

they are empowered.

M. V. realised that adopting a proactive attitude is fundamental, while the opposite, a victimising

attitude, is disabling and always depends on third parties.

In 2019, M. V. had already been the head of her neighbourhood association (AV) for the last

3 years and, as president, she also participated in the AV Federation. She is convinced that, from

these associations, it is easier to start preventive actions within the neighbourhood. In 2017, she

left her parents’ association to be able to work with her neighbourhood, since she believed that

this was where there was more work to be done, and where there were more chances of creating

connections between associations to expand the chances of improving the situation.

On several occasions, M. V. had tried to convey to the members of the Federation the need to

empower themselves, and to participate in the prevention of substance use among young people

living in the neighbourhoods of Palma. Since attending the FERYA workshop, she knew that alcohol

consumption was a very widespread risk, which affects many adolescents and linked to other

risks.

She had always in mind one of the

key ideas of the programme: when you

learn to prevent a risk, you can prevent

other risks. This idea is because the

collaborative strategies are the same:

when organised, parents or

neighbourhood associations can face a

specific risk together.

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M.V.


Being empowered in prevention and being proactive are habits that leave a mark.

YOUTH AND NEIGHBOURHOODS

‘s experience on the FERYA platform is useful for other people and organisations

working in prevention. In 2018, at a meeting with the federation of neighbourhood

associations of Palma, M. V. proposed that they should also commit themselves to the

management of adolescents’ leisure time. She suggested that the association could connect

with other entities that organised recreational activities. And, for the sake of diversified leisure

and based on the principles of health and safety, there should be a space in which children and

adolescents could develop their capacities better. Year after year, the same speech was heard

among the members of the federation, about the lack of collaboration of young people and

the City Council. Many of those responsible for the neighbourhood associations did not

understand the importance of M. V.’s proposal. Criticism of others was the excuse that their

organisation would not work as it should.

M. V. was aware of it. Often, her proposals were neglected by the lack of vision in prevention, or

by other interests of the neighbourhood. However, her perseverance and proactivity led her to plan

how to act, even if it was only in her neighbourhood. Thus, in 2019, she presented to the Board of her

association a series of proposals to be implemented. Moreover, she invited three neighbourhood

associations representatives to participate too. Due to all her efforts, her proposal on adolescent

prevention has become a programme, which has been submitted to the Palma City Council to

obtain grants. If approved, it will have municipal resources for three years.

The spring of 2019, M. V. brought together professionals from IREFREA, as well as members of

three neighbourhood associations to discuss a plan. At the meeting, neighbourhood issues that

worried associations were discussed but there was a common denominator: the majority of

adolescents had almost no chance of opting for a different type of leisure, which did not involve

the use of drugs and alcohol (nightclubs, botellón or meeting in festivals among others). The

discussion led them to talk about the popular festivities, which take place in the three

neighbourhoods during the summer.

In another neighbourhood association (Son Rapinya), a main concern was that many young

people from all over the city go to their festivities in the last week of August and binge drink in near-

by areas. Some nights, violent attitudes have been observed. Although they had in previous years

some traumatic and dangerous experiences, police intervention was minimal and ineffective. Thus,

the association set out to address this problem. A meeting was planned to get professionals to

report the phenomenon, to propose solutions collectively and to plan how to act. Likewise, a joint

meal was scheduled and another association which had similar problems was also invited.

The meeting was held on Saturday, June 1st in the social centre of La Real. Information on

youth leisure was given and discussed, and solutions were suggested. A report was prepared. It

was also decided that the next step would be a strategic meeting with FAPA, so that together

they could invite the City Council.

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The meeting showed that there are many shared

ideas, but also discrepancies, as a result of the diverse

contexts of each neighbourhood. In some, botellón is not

usual and others were more exposed to it, and effective

and urgent actions are needed. There were also

discrepancies in the attitude of the different responsible

parties, in their leadership styles and ways to solve

problems. For example, there are people who perceive

those from the City Council as unable to understand and

act correctly, and although some have good intentions,

they would be conditioned by some power relationships

in which their political party and its social image could

prevail. How- ever, there are also leaders who are

convinced that, with good communication, mutual

support and proactive strategies, actions that benefit

both Civil Society and the City Hall can be undertaken.

The next step was to make attractive proposals, to

achieve a greater political commitment and get the

support from councillors. Such proposals were, for

example, increasing police presence in neighbourhood

festivities; developing a Municipal Plan on Drugs;

implementing leisure alternatives for the children and

youth, etc.

On June 18th, three organisations met to assess together how to involve the City Council: five

neighbourhood associations representatives, two from family representatives from FAPA and two

prevention professionals from IREFREA. A letter proposal was provided describing the problem

related with botellón in the neighbourhood festivities and it also suggested some solutions to be

discussed. Together, they discussed and agreed on a common document. They decided to

arrange a meeting with three councillors involved in the festivities and in prevention. Currently,

they unanimously agree that taking action is essential.

In early July, the head of the Secar de la Real Association prepared and sent the meeting

request. So far, their request has been transferred to the councillor, as well as the other councillors

that have been involved.

6

OCTOBER 2019 · CASE

STUDIES

Meanwhile, some of the neighbourhood festivities have taken place. In Secar

de la Real they have been celebrated without incidents, with the participation of

seven associations, some representing young people. There is a party commission

that coordinates them, with a representative from each organisation.

For its part, in the neighbourhood of Son Rapinya, there have been incidents

again in their festivities, young people binge drink outside the neighbourhood,

although this year they have managed to increase the police presence.

However, it has not been enough, so they intend to continue working throughout

the year. They want fun, but healthy and safe parties; they want young people to

get more involved and provide them with other leisure activities; and for all this,

they need more support from municipal officials.

✎ Lessons

learned

• There are elements that enhance connections. It is

important to have clear ideas, to be empathetic and proactive.

In addition, enhancing and uniting people’s skills, assessing their

potential, as well as foreseeing the ways are to act are essential.

• There are elements that can break connections. There

is a lack of vision that starts with reactive responses or outdated

strategies: many tend to settle in critical discourses about what is

being done wrongly. Very few people develop short-medium

term objectives.

• Improving the LEISURe time of YOUNG people has to be

a prevention aim. It is important to raise awareness of the risk

of consuming alcohol, or the misuse of new technologies, but

equally important is to show solutions, which in many cases can

be creating a local leisure plan for neighbourhoods and

municipalities.

• The relationship between the Civil Society and the City

COUNCIL. The existing tension can lead to rejection between the

parties. Communication has to be open and joint collaboration

strategies must be developed.

• The participation of YOUNG people and families MUST be

promoted. Their low participation is a fact and it is essential that

organisations and the administration work together to reverse it.

6

34


• Case STUDy 1 – Coimbra .

Parents and Children together for alcohol

knowledge improvement

THE BEGINNING

J.A. is a mother from the board of a Parent’s Association (PA) of a Primary School

in Coimbra – Escola Básica da Solum.

This public primary school in the city centre, has about two hundred and sixty

students between five and ten years old. The parent´s association is a strong

presence in the school, with quite a history, and is exclusively composed of

volunteers (mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers).

Although it is a school in the city centre, we can describe the socioeconomic

background as middle-income. This school also receives students with cognitive

and physical disabilities.

THE TRIGGER

As a mother, and as a member of PA, JA shared these concerns with the other

members of the association and decided it was time to act.

Since this PA corresponds to a small community, they decided to take a first step

by creating a project that alerts the community to this very important subject

during the school year between 2018-2019.

The written project was the development of an activity that would provide

reflections on alcohol consumption and other addictions in parents and carers in

their community.

THE STEPS OF THE WAY…

With the cooperation of the school board and the support of Nursing School of

Coimbra and IREFREA Portugal this project was implemented in the school context

in four moments:

1. In November 2018 the PA deliver flyers with a brief explanation about EPOPS

project to families.

2. Then we asked the children to answer with the help of their families at home

to questions about alcohol and its effects. For example:

“Are young people are more vulnerable than adults to the negative effects of

alcohol?”

35


“Does alcohol have a positive effect on young people's self-esteem?”

“A person may fall into a coma or even die from alcohol consumption?”

3. The third moment on December 2018 was a moment of discussion of responses

with children, teachers and technical support from the EPOPS team in the

classroom. This was the time to clarify misconceptions and reinforce the most

appropriate behaviours. After these sessions, we asked the children to draw

about these issues.

4. From this challenge to the EB Solum school community is born this booklet: a

compilation of drawings and answers.

As all of us know, children love to have their parents at school so…

5. The final step, on May 2019 was the invitation of families for a meeting at the

school to present the booklet and show the work by the families of the 3rd and

4th graders, in the 2018/2019 school year, to everyone.

And then the EPOPS team with the support from Parents Association promoted a

workshop of non-alcoholic drinks for families.

36


This activity allowed all the parents from the school to see all the possibilities of the

project, and also engaged other stakeholders from Educational setting that were

present to get in touch with the project, and permitted the possibility that, in the

future, other PA from the region of Coimbra are engaged in this project.

This small project was well received by the community (families and teachers). It

has alerted all the community for these issues and allowed the Parents Association

to lead for the first time a project like this on health promotions and primary

prevention. J.A. made this community realize the need for actions of this kind. J.A.

finish this year her task at this PA but she was invited to integrate another one (the

upgrade level) and she wants to disseminate those initiatives.

37


• Case STUDy 2 – Coimbra .

Promotion of Family Activities in the

municipality

THE BEGINNING

P.A. is a mother from the National Scout Corps of Lousã. This group belongs to a

rural area and has about 40 children and adolescents between six and eighteen

years old. The National Scout Corps of Lousã is recognized by its a history and

community relevance, and is exclusively composed of volunteers. We can

describe the socioeconomic background as middle-income.

THE TRIGGER

As a result of the work done with the Lousã Parents Association, we were invited

to collaborate on an initiative that would allow parents to reflect on chemical and

non-chemical dependencies.

On May 11th the EPOPS project, in partnership with USF Trevim Sol da Lousã and

the National Scout Corps of Lousã, collaborated in the realization of a dynamic

activity directed to 30 parents and children in the area of chemical and non-

chemical dependencies.

38


THE STEPS OF THE WAY…

About 30 families participants (adults and children) attended and participants

took a snack to share among all. Four groups were formed (with parents and

children) and dynamic and reflective games were held around the theme of the

use of chemical and non-chemical substances (gymkhana).

At the end there was a snack that included the preparation of non-alcoholic

drinks, a moment of conviviality and learning for parents and children. Non-

alcoholic beverages have been

demonstrated so that parents can

later drink them with their children

and that parents can be positive

role models for children.

This activity allowed all the parents

from the school to see all the

possibilities of the project, and also

engaged other stakeholders from

Educational setting that were

present to get in touch with the

project, and permitted the possibility that, in the future, other PA from the region

of Coimbra are engaged in this project.

This one-day activity was well received by the families. It make awareness for these

issues and allowed the National Scout Corps of Lousã to lead for the first time a

project like this on health promotions and primary prevention. P.A. state the

intention to propose more actions to help parents to realize the need for actions

in-between parents. P.A. will be next year in the same task so she will invited the

board of Scouts to integrate and disseminate those kind of initiatives.

39


✎ Lessons

learned

• Small initiatives put the project on the community and start to

create awareness

• One or two motivated people can be enough to engage more

parents and other stakeholders to bring more awareness and to

promote different initiatives

• Motivation and raising community awareness is the key task

• Engaging key-persons is crucial for project sustainability

40


Critical Success Factors.

Along the EPOPS project implementation, key challenges targeted, barriers

encountered, achievements and critical success factors have been collected. Critical

Success Factors are those factors or activities required to ensure that objectives are

met, results are achieved and obstacles are overcome.

Some of the most common challenges found and displayed in the collected case

studies are summarised in the following table (Table 1). Among these challenges are: (i)

to encourage relationships between different agents involved; (ii) to promote

empowerment and involvement of parents’ organisations; (iii) to transform complaints

into actions and (iv) to receive the political support and commitment needed.

CS 1

(ES)

CS 2

(ES)

CS 3

(ES)

CS 4

(ES)

CS 5

(ES)

CS 6

(ES)

CS1

(PT)

CS2

(PT)

Challenges

To encourage relationships

between different agents involved X X X X X X

X

X

To promote the empowerment and

involvement of families and their

organisations X X X X X X

X

X

To transform complaints into actions X X X X X X

X

X

To involve policy makers into the

proposed initiatives X X X X X

To achieve greater political

commitment X X X X X

To promote measures to strengthen

the legislation on the sale of alcohol X X X X

To connect associations from all

over the area X X X X

X Table 1. Challenges targeted as described in the EPOPS case studies.

The parents’ organisations members that have leading roles in these case studies have

initiated their own growth towards their own empowerment. Even if they tend to show a

very critical point of view towards the community, they do not give up when

advocating for what they believe in. Even if they all encounter obstacles and try to

overcome them when socialising prevention, their proactive attitude and their

willingness for change are their greatest allies.

The specific barriers found by the parents’ organisations are collected in Table 2.

Obstacles that may be encountered must be taken into consideration by parents’

organisations in order to address a problematic issue. Some of these difficulties are wide

common among different municipalities or even countries, such as: (i) the normalisation

of alcohol use; (ii) to prevent alcohol consumption in public settings; (iii) to prevent

youngsters’ engagement in risky behaviours; (iv) a leisure model based on nightlife and

substance use, and a lack of healthy alternatives; (v) regulations are not enforced.

41


CS 1

(ES)

CS 2

(ES)

CS 3

(ES)

CS 4

(ES)

CS 5

(ES)

CS 6

(ES)

CS1

(PT)

CS2

(PT)

Specific barriers

Normalisation of alcohol use in the

community X X X X

X

X

Difficulties to prevent underage

alcohol use in public settings X X X X X

Children engaging in risky

behaviours X X X X X

X

A model of leisure oriented to

consumption instead of offering

alternatives X X X X X

X

X

Difficulties in analysing the issue

from multiple responsibilities (e.g.

City Council's role in enforcement of

the regulations) X X X X X

Table 2. Barriers encountered as described in the EPOPS case studies.

Regardless of the obstacles, the community has not stopped developing and applying

strategies to overcome them. When challenges and actual achievements are

compared, it is noticeable that they are closely linked to each other. Most of the

challenges targeted by the participants of the EPOPS programme have been achieved

or are rather in the process to be completed. Every case has achieved different goals,

depending on the nature of the initiatives that were launched by the participating

group. Still, they all share some common outcomes, summarised in Table 3:

CS 1

(ES)

CS 2

(ES)

CS 3

(ES)

CS 4

(ES)

CS 5

(ES)

CS 6

(ES)

CS1

(PT)

CS2

(PT)

Achievements

Preventive initiatives influencing the

development of more actions X X X

Parents organisations leading the

preventive strategies proposed X X X X X

X

A single parent leading the

preventive strategies proposed or

triggering the initiative X X X X

X

X

A sequence of specific coordinated

actions undertaken by parents

orgnisationss, experts,

stakeholders… to prevent underage

substance use X X X X X

Involvement of policy makers in the

execution of the preventive

initiatives to raise their effectiveness X X X

Good dissemination of the initiatives X X X X X

A plan to make more effective

communication (email, phone,

Whatsapp, face to face…) X X X X X X

X

X

Sustainability of the efforts ensured

and proved by posterior initiatives X X X X

Table 3. Achievements as described in the EPOPS case studies.

42


Socialising prevention is a hard task, because it means involving different people from

different sectors that may not act and work similarly. Parents have learnt some

strategies throughout the development of the initiatives they have been carrying out

and many of these have proved to be critical for the successful outcomes obtained.

The following table (Table 4) collects the Critical Success Factors identified from the

case studies.

CS 1

(ES)

CS 2

(ES)

CS 3

(ES)

CS 4

(ES)

CS 5

(ES)

CS 6

(ES)

CS1

(PT)

CS2

(PT)

Critical Success Factors

Parents Organisations (like FAPA

Mallorca) able to provide technical

support to overcome the barriers X X X X X X

X

X

Counting with the support of

experts and professionals of

prevention as facilitators of

knowledge X X X X X X

X

X

Sharing successful experiences from

previous initiatives X X X

Counting with the collaboration of

stakeholders from different areas

(police, public health, education…) X X X X

Willingness to collaborate and work

together, taking a proactive

approach and participate as a

network X X X X X X

X

X

Presence in the media to

disseminate the initiatives

undertaken X X X

Sensitisation of the industry towards

the prevention of alcohol

consumption among minors X

Financial resources from

governmental agencies X

Active involvement of young

people in the initiative X X X

X

Active involvement of those parents

which have developed leadership

skills X X X

X

Critical attitude towards ineffective

preventive initiatives and willingness

to make changes towards quality

prevention X X X X

Capacity to understand others

people's views, offer resourceful

strategies and create consensus X X X X X X

X

Enforcement of the law against

selling alcohol to minors X

Raise people's awareness on risks

that affect young people X X X X X

X

X Table 4. Critical success factors identified from the EPOPS case studies.

43


As displayed in the table, some of them seem more related to specific cases, however,

they are still a very important factor to socialise the prevention of underage alcohol use

in adolescents. This would be the case of “obtaining financial resources from

governmental agencies” and the “enforcement of the law against selling alcohol to

minors”.

Due to the nature of each case study, it is possible that these factors were not brought

up by the parents or that were not specifically addressed. However, through the

information gathered in other points of the project’s development, parents,

stakeholders or any other members of the Civil Society, all agree on the needed

enforcement of this law. Moreover, they also agree on police’s more active

involvement and that the policy makers should also collaborate to develop the

needed policies to prevent underage substance use (e.g. through the elaboration of a

Municipal Plan on Drugs).

To be able to implement any preventive programme (such EPOPS), financial resources

are crucial. Their development and implementation depend on the governmental

agencies’ investment. Without resources, there will be no prevention experts providing

technical support, nor administration staff that could keep track of the initiatives and

ensure communication between all parties. There would not be either any training or

any dissemination materials.

Communication and dissemination efforts have proved to be also essential to ensure

sustainability of the initiatives, to encourage the involvement of many of the

stakeholders and to promote the development of new actions. When the parent-

leaders learnt about a successful previous experience (like the one explained in the

case study 2), it inspired them to start working on their own concerns.

The involvement of different sectors is one of the main critical success factors, since the

“willingness to collaborate and work together, taking a proactive approach and

participate as a network” has been one of the most common factors brought up by

parents and stakeholders during the whole development of the project. In this sense,

the parents’ organisations members leading these case studies are aware of the need

to involve young people in prevention, and they have been working on it. The round

table in Palma marked the first seed for this purpose. At the event, two students got

involved and they presented the results of the school survey conducted. Months later,

80 students from the same high school participated in a discussion about how they

could actively participate in preventing alcohol use and improving youth leisure time. In

addition, the parents’ organisations members involved in the programme are also

working to integrate the educational community, in order to engage them in the

development of the initiatives. By the time this report was written, some more initiatives

involving both young people and educational services are in progress.

Documents

758400 EPOPS Project Title: Empowering Parents ......Introduction Despite the scientific evidence available showing that families are the main collective that can ensure young people’s