JACS - Intro Night / Outreach and Education

navbar

Home > Education and Outreach

JACS Educational Outreach Programs >
One-Hour Programs >
Addiction Training Seminars >
On-Site Events >
Intro Night >

JACS EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS

JACS is a leading educational resource for addiction and recovery in the Greater Toronto Area, working closely with numerous addiction treatment centres and mental health facilities in Canada and internationally. Our focus has been on Toronto’s Jewish community, in which JACS is the central resource centre for addiction and recovery for Jews of all denominations.

One of JACS’ most important functions is educational outreach. Our staff and volunteers are sought after speakers and seminars leaders who inform the community about addiction and recovery, and the resources available to addicts and family members seeking help. JACS has many different speaker and seminar programs available that are offered to various audiences, from teenagers to Rabbis. JACS can also customize programs to best fit the needs of specific groups. The following is a list of our standard programs:

One-Hour Programs

Student Lectures
For teens and young adults.

JACS often sends speakers to middle and high schools, as well as summer camps. Our speakers are generally young addicts in their teens or early 20s who are in recovery. Along with sharing their stories about their struggles and ultimate victories over addiction, the speakers discuss resources available to those who think that they might have crossed the line into addiction and how to spot signs of addiction in friends and family members. Other topics brought up are the legal ramifications for being charged and convicted of drug offences and the different effects and dangers of commonly abused drugs.

Parent Lectures
For parent-teacher associations, synagogue congregations, professional associations and parenting groups.

A large portion of the JACS family is parents and loved ones of addicts and alcoholics. For JACS Parent Lectures, we send these family members, along with addicts in recovery, to discuss how to spot signs that children are addicted, the resources available to parents, and what realistic actions can be taken to intervene.

Addiction Training Seminars

Teachers and Education Professionals
For teachers, school administrators, guidance counselors and health professionals.

JACS has developed numerous seminars on addiction and alcoholism for educators. These hands-on, practical seminars can be age specific for teachers specializing in the different levels of K-12. We instruct educators on how to spot signs that students might be addicted or experimenting with drugs and how to best deal with the situation. We also instruct educational professionals on how to identify students that are struggling with parents or siblings that are addicts, and how to best reach out to them. We also discuss the numerous legal ramifications of helping students and introduce educators to the numerous outside resources available to them and their students.

Student Leadership Seminars
For high-school students counsels, camp counselors and members of student groups and associations

JACS works closely with student leaders that often act as liaisons between the student body and resources for peers suffering from addiction or that might have family members suffering from alcoholism and/or drug abuse. Our student-focused training seminars educate student leaders on how to identify peers in distress, what to do if someone reaches out for help, and what resources are available. These seminars are developed to incorporate interactive, play-acting case studies that teach students how they can actively help friends and peers.

On-Site Events

Class Trip to JACS
For middle- and high-school classes.

JACS takes a first-hand approach to informing students about the suffering caused by addiction and alcoholism when we invite them to our Sheppard Avenue headquarters. Here, they get to meet, talk and ask questions with recovering addicts. They also get to witness some of the frustrations that come with helping those afflicted with the disease of addiction. Along with just witnessing our environment, students are provided instruction on different drugs and their effects, how to judge if they have crossed the line into addiction, and how to identify and help friends or family members who are afflicted with alcoholism or drug addiction. Most importantly, we teach students who might be suffering from addiction, either personally or from the affects of an addicted loved one, that they are not alone and that there is a safe, non-judgmental place for them to turn to for help.

All-Day Community Leader Workshops
For leaders of community groups, synagogue congregations, Rabbis, social workers and health workers.

These all-day events are intended to function as a boot camp introduction addiction. It is hoped that people who attend the session can then go back to their respective communities or groups, and impart some of the knowledge learned. It’s also hoped they will function as liaisons between their respective constituents and JACS. The seminar day is separated into different learning modules that range from general information on addiction and an update on recent studies and findings to hands-on, role-playing scenarios. Attendees also learn about the various resources available to addicts, alcoholics and family members, including detox centres, rehab treatment clinics, and various support groups.

Intro Night
(Outreach and Education Meeting)
JACS Introductory night for Addicts, Alcoholics or their concerned friends and family.

Some of the more common comments we hear at JACS are: “I think I am an addict (or alcoholic) and I don’t know what to do. Or, “I think my husband (wife, daughter, son or sibling) is an alcoholic (or addict) and I don’t know what to do.”

Admitting that your substance abuse is out of control, or discovering that a loved one has crossed the line into addiction, is one of the most painful realizations a person can make. At JACS, we are here to help answer questions you might have about addiction and explain what resources are available to you. Just as importantly, we are here to show you that you are not alone and that there is hope.

Our Thursday night meeting is developed specifically for the confused new comers with little understanding of the disease of addiction. It is a one-of-a-kind meeting in Toronto in that it is open to addicts and alcoholics, as well as to the family and friends of addicts/alcoholics (including loved ones of those that are still in denial.)

At the meetings, newcomers are introduced to what is addiction, who is an addict or alcoholic, and what resources are available, such as detox centres and rehabilitation treatment centres. Addicts and alcoholics are also introduced to the 12-Step Fellowships of Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, while family and friends are introduced to 12-Step Fellowships of Al-Anon, Ala-Teen, Nar-Anon and Co-Anon.

At the meetings, new comers also get to meet addicts in recovery and family members that are successfully braving life with addiction in their house holds. The meeting is a forum where all get to share their challenges and victories, and learn from the experience of others.

JACS’ Outreach and Education Meeting is held every Thursday night at 8 pm at JACS. (Click here for directions on Get in Touch Page).

For information call JACS phoneline at 416-410-JACS (5227) or email us at info@jacstoronto.org