UNODC's Family First Program (UN Office, Vienna)
Written by: Claudia Ditel
On November 18, 2021, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime held its Family First Program.
The first speaker was Elisabeth Mattfeld, UNODC Project Coordinator. She explained the launch of the new tool for prevention promoted by UNODC: Listen First. What is UNODC Listen First? The underlining principle is that prevention is based on active listening. Materials for awareness-raising should be fun, engaging and inclusive. The materials should be incorporated into a prevention approach/system. Listen First is implemented through three phases: parent involvement, ice cream rules and listening. They target children that use to “break the rules.”
Last time, UNODC launched also the Science of Care, based on 10 videos and 10 informative sheets. They targeted the role of parents during the pandemic. The activities are to be implemented within a house. They demonstrate how parents can work well with their children.
All the science sheets were linked to each other and were focused on emotional learning.
Concepts as self-management and self-control were central. They also showed how to communicate in a positive way, with active listening, so to promote healthy relationships.
The second speaker was Wadih Maalouf, UNODC Global Programme Manager. He presented the project: Family skills, strong families. This project involved many NGOs. It was implemented at the grassroots level. It took into consideration the international standards for prevention. Prevention is a science. It is evidence-based. It is not a field in which you should improvise. Prevention is not focused on drugs but on the individual. It is important to build children’s resilience. The institutions of families and schools are important. But they work in a different way according to the context. In conflict-affected scenarios, the implementation of prevention measures presents different challenges. Prevention starts even before the child is born, during the pregnancy. Prevention is not a standalone concept. It is integrated with the context. Especially in middle childhood (6-11 years), the family has a crucial role. The family should develop the following skills: conflict resolution, problem resolution, trust and teamwork. The program targets in particular, families in developing countries. The program can be implemented by local facilitators.
Amir Shaju, from DAM NGO, was the third speaker. He presented the Families Skills Program implemented in Bangladesh. The schools were the main focus where the program was implemented. The NGO works closely with the Minister of Education. The second project was implemented among the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals that are living in Bangladesh. The challenges were related to administrative processes, environment, the setup of rooms and languages.
The fourth speaker was Carmen Fernandez Caceres, General Director of the Centros de Integracion Juvenil, Mexico. The consumption of methamphetamines grew tremendously in Mexico in the last few years. This produces a dissocial personality disorder. It is positively correlated with violence in the family. They launched the program “to live without addictions” which targets youths and families. They target vulnerable children in families where episodes of abuse and violence occur. It is implemented in families and schools. They start to work with kids starting from three-years-old. They use hybrid and face-to-face programs and also work with people among migrant and indigenous communities, where more vulnerabilities are present.
The full program is available here:
