Motherwell and Wishaw MSP Clare Adamson visited a Lanarkshire-based charity after lodging a Parliamentary motion about the organisation’s 20th anniversary.
LANDED (Lanarkshire Drug Education) is a charity that works with young people across Lanarkshire to promote messages of harm reduction on topics such as; drugs, alcohol, tobacco and sexual health.
Established in 2002 initially as part of NHS Lanarkshire, it was launched as a youth engagement arm to raise awareness of the consequences of drugs and alcohol. It became a registered charity in 2005 and has grown since then.
The charity, which is based in Wishaw, offers topic-based workshops to groups of young people, and uses a mix of peer-to-peer support and education, and professional and volunteer-led workshops.
Staff members and volunteer peer educators have consulted on a wide range of local and national projects, including an anti-tobacco campaign by ASH Scotland, and the No Knives Better Lives campaign.
Among the other services they can provide are harm reduction information stalls for events.
The SNP politician was welcomed to the charity’s King Street base and met with service manager Jacqui Flanagan, senior development officer Robbie Stevenson and development officer Laura McLean.
LANDED has worked with hundreds of young people over the years.
Clare Adamson thanked the charity for the visit and for their important work over the last 20 years, saying: “LANDED has been making a tangible difference in young people’s lives.
“The organisation takes a harm reduction approach. This is not about judgement.
"They do not condemn or condone any behaviour but, rather, it’s about empowering young people to make positive informed choices about their health and wellbeing.
“The ethos at LANDED is founded upon inclusion.
"They offer workshops run by professionals and volunteers and provide staff development opportunities as well as regularly consulting people with lived experience of the issues in their workshops.
“Thank you to Jacqui, Robbie and Laura for hosting me. To reach 20 years is an incredible milestone and it is right that this important community work is recognised.”
For more information on the organisation, head online.
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