The Art of Moulding

Illustration by Saptadipa Mallick

“A child’s mind is like a blank book” a popular phrase once said by the late American animation film producer, Walt Disney. This phrase says everything about a child’s development. A child would paint its life with what they see and learn during their developmental phase. Walt Disney also emphasised the importance of teaching children that good can always triumph over evil, which is a very true statement; bad behaviour can be avoided or overcome with the appropriate education and guidance. A growing child needs proper guidance and education that does not lead them towards risky behavioural patterns and illegal habits such as substance use at such a young age. During the cognitive development phase, a child is curious about learning everything they see around them, and at this age, care and affection from parents and guardians can play a role in moulding and shaping the child.

It is saddening to see young children of merely 7 years old being exposed to harmful and illegal behaviours such as use of alcohol, cigarettes, different forms of drugs and even vape, which is currently seen as a trend among adolescents and young adults. With substance use, there is not one singular factor or individual that is the root cause for influencing such risky behaviour in children. This is because the factors contributing to the initiation of substance use are multifactorial. Some common factors can be classified as behavioural, emotional, and environmental factors, which place children at risk for the initiation of substance. However, this may be remediated through prevention and intervention programs that use research-based, comprehensive, culturally relevant, social resistance skills training and normative education through interactive school-based learning settings.

Substance use in children can lead to many adverse health and safety risks for the child, family, and community. The first step in ameliorating the problem of drug use is to clearly observe and understand risk and protective factors that may affect the initiation of substance use in children. It is crucial to keep in mind that the younger a child is, in initiating alcohol and other drug use, the risk of developing serious health consequences and thesubstance use disorders is higher. Difficult temperament in children may exacerbate childhood troublesome behaviours and lead to insecure attachment with the child’s primary caregiver. In addition, adverse childhood experiences has also been implicated as a significant risk factor for later substance use. Other environmental factors can also range from relationships with other family members, and exposure to mainstream media such as films, internet, and social media. A huge debate has been going on the exposure of social media and unwanted internet exposure to children as young as 3 years old. However, that is another whole new topic of its own to be discussed separately.

Children grow and develop cognitively based on their surroundings and how the caregivers mould them in every aspect, and this can be leveraged as a protective factor. Protective factors are characteristics within the individual, the family, and the environment that advance one’s ability to resist risky behaviours. Protective factors in children include growing up in a nurturing home with open communication with parents, and having positive parental support.Teacher dedication to teaching and low disparities can also be advantageous in moulding children in a desired manner. Positive self-esteem, self-concept, self-control, assertiveness, social competence, and academic achievement can all contribute to building resistance against drug use. In addition, regular religious practices and a sense of morality can also be protective against drug use. Protective factors instil the individual with resiliency, which helps the individual overcome negativities, stressors, and difficult situations throughout life.

Moving on, the second step is to initiate and develop prevention initiatives or programmes that target children. An effective prevention method for children would be school-based programs. Schools could establish a program that helps both parents and children, where the school invites a paediatric health care provider to be a consultant for parents as well as for the school, and the community on topics related to cognitive development and substance use in children. Sports activity can be used as the medium to develop social and emotional skills, and creative educational methods and programs for children can be implemented in the school curriculum. Examples of creative projects could include stage drama with elements on morals, weekly quizzes and other educational activities on substance use prevention, using music and song creation to deliver prevention messaging and awareness in children. Music can ignite all areas of child development and skills for school readiness, including intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language, and overall literacy.

There should also be involvement at community level: local authorities should produce effective community-based programs in partnership with the central government and NGOs that are child-focused and can support caregivers; this could include having team-bonding games/activities, family day in the neighbourhood to promote healthy and substance-free lifestyle. In addition to forming neighbourhood associations to support the care of children and adolescents in the community, residents and local authorities could collaborate on initiatives to observe daily activities and frequently visited placed to facilitate the identification of support needs, and foster partnerships with government agencies to enhance access to support services. Furthermore, these collaborations could contribute to the development of sustainable healthcare practices and promote a well-informed community.

The final step is to implement the developed strategies and programs effectively and evaluating it in order to have continuous implementation and progress. Teachers in schools should make sure there is an interactive approach in teaching and learning, where they can use assertion training or role-playing new skills and behaviour to stimulate the active participation of all students. These activities can also be done in smaller groups to promote active communication between students and the teacher. Schools and parents should make use of available materials that are science and evidence based. A great reference that can be used by caregivers and schools to educate children and themselves are the “Listen First” materials by UNODC, which is an evidence-informed initiative that supports parenting and caregiving for the healthy and safe development of children and youth, and thereby contributing to substance use prevention.

The educational approach is one of the best methods available in promoting substance-free lifestyle to children. Teaching children from small with creative and interactive activities and programs will create a direct and indirect awareness in children as they develop their personalities and intrapersonal skills. Schools and parents should set goals and focus when helping children learn how to identify a problem or risky situations and make decisions based on firmly held values, cope with peer influences, and assert their ideas at young age. Children become what they learn and see. It’s our responsibility to create a better environment for children and the upcoming generation by educating ourselves, our family and friends and the community. Let’s together mould our children beautifully with proper and accurate education, and help them grow healthy and safe. It is never too late to start educating our children because prevention is always better than cure.

United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime

Youth Initiative

The Art of Moulding

Written by Dharshini G. Murthy

Illustration by Saptadipa Mallick

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