Prof Lebogang Katata-Seru, acting deputy dean in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, represented the NWU at the event themed “Be a Hero, Be Drug Zero”.

Prof Katata-Seru emphasised the alignment of this initiative with the NWU's values, particularly its commitment to an ethic of care. She also acknowledged the prevalence of substance abuse among the youth and the destructive impact it has on lives.

"Substance abuse has become a common thing these days, and many of our young people are destroying their lives through addiction. Therefore, it is crucial to raise awareness about substance abuse among our youth and prevent them from succumbing to it. With awareness campaigns such as this event, we provide knowledge which is the most vital tool to give power to an individual," added Prof Katata-Seru.

The event focused on critical topics such as substance use disorder, the effects of gender-based violence and its intersection with substance abuse, social relief support, the importance of family, and substance use disorder-related crimes.

Illegal substance use among adolescent learners is a global concern for government policy-makers, researchers and mental health care practitioners, according to Prof Sehularo from the School of Nursing Science in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

So, when it came time for his PhD research, he investigated “Substance use prevention programmes among adolescents focusing on resilience as a protective factor: A systematic review”.

The purpose of his research was to develop and validate an illegal substance prevention programme for learners in the North West Province.

“Illegal substance use among adolescent learners has negative social, health and behavioural consequences including mental and physical health problems, violence and aggressive behaviour,” he explains.

An intervention research design was followed to address his research problem and Prof Sehularo says his findings confirmed the content of the programme, and indicated that the programme should focus on strengthening adolescents’ resilience and on mobilising protective factors.

“Experts in mental health and substance use disorders, as well as adolescent learners, validated the programme. Both experts and adolescent learners indicated that the programme is clear, simple, general, accessible and important.

“The programme contributes important information to the field of psychiatry and mental health and recommendations were made for implementation of the programme,” concludes Prof Sehularo.