DanceSafe's 28 chapters and
affiliates in the United States
and Canada consist of young
people from within the dance
culture itself who have a
sincere interest in bettering
their communities and
educating themselves and
their peers. Volunteers staff
harm reduction booths at
raves, nightclubs, and other
dance events where they
provide information on drugs,
safer sex, and additional
health and safety issues
concerning the electronic
dance community. DanceSafe
also provides adulterant
screening or "pill testing"
services for Ecstasy users. Pill
testing is an important harm
reduction service that saves
lives and reduces medical
emergencies by helping
ecstasy users avoid fake and
adulterated tablets that often
contain substances far more
dangerous than MDMA.
What does DanceSafe think about drug
education; are there any programs or approaches it endorses?
DRUG EDUCATION is our primary
goal and it is the most effective tool we
use. We believe people make healthier
decisions about engaging in risky activities if
they have access to accurate information about risks. Though we primarily
focus on drug use and safety concerns such
as heat stroke and hearing loss, we also
provide information and peer counseling
for many life issues that may relate to drug
use.
Our approach is a combination of
harm reduction and popular education
methods. We receive many requests
asking how schools, government agencies,
and cities around the world can implement their own youth-driven harm
reduction organizations. While harm
reduction requires an individualized
approach that caters to the specific needs
of a local community, we provide new
groups a base to start from.
Do you have age limits or requirements
related to who can be a volunteer or have a
position of leadership in your organization?
Chapters set their own age require-
ments and limits. DanceSafe as a national
organization requires that the group
founders be 18 or older, so they can sign
chapter bylaws and be in a better position
to handle situations that may arise when
dealing with local authorities and health
groups. Most chapters do allow volunteers
under 18, with signed forms indicating
permission of their parents. We also
encourage chapters to limit pill testing to
volunteers over 18.
What laws do you think there should be
regarding young people and drugs? Do you
have any thoughts about the age of consent,
or any distinctions made between different
psychoactives or classes of psychoactives?
DanceSafe's commitment to harm
reduction principles means we recognize
every individual's right to choose for
themselves what activities they participate
in. However, there must be a balance
between safety and risk when dealing
with potentially harmful activities. We
refrain from taking a specific policy stance
on issues unless we feel that the specific
issue may influence the safety and health
of our patrons.
As for distinctions between different
psychoactives or classes of psychoactives,
DanceSafe believes that government
tendencies to blur the distinctions between drugs
limits users' ability to accurately gauge the risks involved with drugs
that are similarly grouped but produce
widely varying effects.
What kind of feedback, breakthroughs,
or insights have you had with regard to the
involvement of minors in your organization?
The continual influx of youth into our
organization brings new ideas and
perspectives, and we are constantly
reminded of how much more worldly
today's youth are compared to previous
generations. Frequently we come across
14- or 15-year-olds who are considering
experimenting with drugs or who have
friends who are experimenting with
drugs. Peer pressures and a lack of re-
sources means they often depend on
rumors for information about drugs. We
find, after they attend a few meetings, they
begin presenting health and safety
information to their friends. As a member
of their peer group, they gain more respect
on drug issues than an older "authority
figure" has.
|