/ 22 January 2009

Addicted to life

Special Commendation -- Investing in the Future Corporate Award: Absa Drug-Free.

Absa’s philosophy that a sound mind in a healthy body is the recipe for a balanced society has taken tangible form in its anti-drug production, Addicted to Life.

Absa has been awarded a special commendation in the Corporate Award category for its programme, which educates youths on the Cape Flats about the dangers of drugs.

The bank asked award-winning stage producer Lara Foot Newton to package a production focusing on a personal battle with tik and highlighting the effects of drug abuse on families.

The production makes use of international prevention standards and takes care not to glamorise drug use.

The drug-awareness community project aims to reach about 30 000 high school learners and educators with a six-week schools tour and a four-week run at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town.

The two-hour school intervention couples Foot Newton’s production with a professional presentation by counsellors and a question and answer session to involve the learner and educator audience.