See full report below

Preamble
This Charter was developed by the PTA through a consultative process with a view to raising awareness of the grave and growing social problem of teenage substance abuse.

The Charter aims to empower and support parents to deal constructively and effectively with the phenomenon of teenage substance abuse by:
·         promoting a set of shared values among parents,
·         highlighting the nature and consequences of the problem and
·         offering guidelines to cope with the problem.

Adherence to the Charter is entirely voluntary and parents are free to be guided by the Charter as their own conscience dictates. Neither the school nor the PTA will seek to enforce the Charter, although efforts will be made from time to time to promote the Charter through awareness-raising activities.

Background

A social problem:
Drinking and drugging among teenagers is developing into a major social problem across all sectors of South African society. With the greater availability and ease of access to alcohol and drugs, together with their increasing acceptance by society, underage drinking is affecting more and more teenagers. In many cases, families are finding it difficult to cope with their teenager's abuse of substances, and the associated irresponsible, bad and sometimes dangerous behaviour.

Trends:
Trends in South Africa reveal that the age of first experimentation is dropping to pre-teen age groups, and that by mid teens, the use of alcohol is rife, often with extremely dangerous effects. The trends show that the younger children start experimenting, the more likely they are to develop long term problems associated with drinking. Findings of various surveys reveal that a disturbingly high percentage of teens use alcohol on a regular basis, along with an increasing number participating in binge drinking and drugging.

Concerns:
Research and empirical evidence in South Africa and internationally reveals a range of disturbing consequences of substance abuse among teenagers, including:
drunkenness, passing out, promiscuity, unprotected sex, date rape, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV-AIDS, car accidents; poor  nutrition, skin problems and damage to the developing brain, liver, pancreas and other organs emotional instability, decreasing performance and participation in sport, academics and cultural activities; potential for alcoholism and greater propensity to use harder drugs.

Charter Aims:
In response to these trends and concerns, this Charter aims to empower and support parents to deal constructively and effectively with the grave and growing social problem. Our support for this Charter is based on the understanding that we as parents have a crucial role to play, that we carry a significant responsibility, and that we can begin to make a difference. The Charter seeks to achieve these aims by promoting a set of shared values among parents, by highlighting the nature and consequences of the problem and by offering guidelines to cope with the problem.

Support of School Policy:
Supporters of this Charter recognise and support the School Policy regarding the Prevention and Management of Substance Abuse, which is directed at the conduct of girls within the context of St Mary's. This Charter however is directed at parents, and seeks to support parents in their endeavours to deal with the problems of substance abuse mainly outside of the St Mary's context.

Support of the law:
Supporters of this Charter also recognise and seek to uphold the law which states that it is illegal to supply alcohol to minors; the law allows for parents to provide a moderate amount of alcohol to their own children, to be consumed under their direct supervision, but alcohol may not be provided to other children.

Voluntary support:
This Charter is offered to parents as a living document, one that may grow and change with time and circumstance. This Charter is also offered to parents to adopt and promote as their conscience dictates. There will be no form of measurement or policing of the Charter. Rather, support for the Charter will be found in the extent to which attitudes and practices of parents are consistent with the values and guidelines offered in this Charter.

Values

Supporters of this Charter seek to uphold and promote the following values:

Observance of the law:       we are mindful of and observe the law of the land in relation to providing alcohol to those in our care, and to other children;

Responsibility :                     we take responsibility through our actions and example for the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of minors under our care; in so doing, we also promote responsible behaviour among children in our care;

Accountability :                     we will be accountable to society, other parents and our children when we create circumstances where underage drinking and undesirable behaviour may occur;

Mutual support :                   we offer support to other parents and children in dealing with issues related to drug use, underage drinking and in managing parties;

Communication :                  we seek to maintain open channels of communication between ourselves and other parents, and between ourselves and those in our care;

Honesty and integrity:         we seek to inculcate a mindset of honesty and integrity amongst those in our care, while demonstrating honesty and integrity in the way we exercise our care;

Self-respect and self-esteem:           we seek ways to help those in our care gain self-respect and self esteem;

Non-violence:                       we promote non-violence.

Guidelines
Supporters of this Charter seek to deal with the problem of substance abuse in practical and supportive ways, including through the application of these guidelines:
·          avoid open parties, provide a visible parental presence at parties and inspect the environment thoroughly;
·          ensure that parties for minors held at our homes are drug and alcohol free;
·          agree with other parents about ground rules of acceptable behaviour;
·          set boundaries for our children and spell out the consequences of over stepping the line of acceptable behaviour;
·          avoid assuming too much and verifying too little about the socialising habits of our children;
·          exercise care to ensure our children are not given lifts by those under the influence of alcohol and where applicable, that they do not drive when they have been drinking;
·          provide viable alternatives to malls, clubs and open parties;
·          avoid glamorising alcohol as the key to success, wealth and social acceptance;
·          educate ourselves and our children on the dangers of alcohol and how to cope with peer pressure;
·          monitor the behaviour of our own children and their friends and take action to prevent the use of drugs and the abuse of alcohol;
·          seek professional assistance if there are concerns about physical and/or emotional dependence on drugs or alcohol;
·          discuss the subject of underage or excessive drinking with other parents, sharing information about patterns of behaviour, concerns, signs or symptoms of problems and worrying situations;
·          get to know parents better so that we trust each other more;
·          speak openly about the use of drugs, underage or irresponsible drinking and bad behaviour, and contact parents of children in cases where we are aware of the use of drugs or alcohol and associated bad behaviour;
·          do not condone the purchase of alcohol by adults for resale or distribution to minors;
·          act as good role models in the example we set.