From Icelandic Prevention Model to broad Frisian Community Approach
Actually, I was a bit disappointed after reading more about the Icelandic Prevention Model (IPM) last summer. Disappointed, because the IPM only focuses on preventing substance use among young people. At the same time I was also enthusiastic, but then about the Icelandic approach itself. This approach focuses on the social integration of young people through participation in group activities in the field of sports, music, art and volunteer work. An approach that, in my opinion, should be used for all phases of life.
It made me decide to write a position paper (see the link below), based on several dozen scientific publications and articles about the IPM. And the word ‘position paper’ actually says it all: with my paper I determine my position in relation to the IPM and I also want to provide inspiration for our own Fryske Mienskip Oanpak (FMO – Frisian Community Approach) based on the approach and experiences in Iceland.
What is the Icelandic Prevention Model?
The IPM is a scientifically based approach to prevent the use of alcohol and drugs among young people[1]. The approach involves close collaboration between all kinds of stakeholders within the local community, with the school acting as a hub1. Young people do not hang around on the street, but three to four times a week, under professional supervision, they are involved in after-school activities, such as football, swimming, music, dance, art and volunteer work[2].
The Icelandic approach focuses on primary prevention, i.e. preventing undesirable behavior before it occurs[3]. The approach is therefore not specifically aimed at preventing substance use and can contribute to the prevention of health problems in a broader sense[4], also according to the researchers involved in the IPM. Nevertheless, this is not yet being done. Not even in the Netherlands, where the Icelandic model, after a number of successful pilots, is now being rolled out across the country under the name ‘Opgroeien in een Kansrijke Omgeving’ (OKO – Growing up in an Environment full of Opportunities). This approach is also primarily aimed at combatting substance use among young people.
Towards an approach for all phases of life
After reading all the literature on the IPM, I saw a multitude of already existing initiatives coming together in a broader approach based on the interventions and experiences in Iceland. Thus the idea for the Fryske Mienskip Oanpak (FMO – Frisian Community Approach) was born, which focuses on meeting and exercise for all phases of life; with sports, music, art and volunteer activities that are rooted in the local community. Activities that contribute to social cohesion within the Frisian community and promote a healthy lifestyle. Objectives that fully match the ambitions of the Frisian Prevention Approach (FPA).
Learning from the experiences in Iceland, in my opinion the FMO should also work from hubs. For children and young people, as in Iceland, the school can be the hub from which activities take place. For adults and the elderly, this could be the village hall or community center. In addition, the activities should not only rely on volunteers (after all, they are becoming increasingly difficult to find), but, following the IPM, there must always be professional support too. In my opinion, welfare work in the broadest sense, from youth work to libraries, should provide that support.
| The 10 active ingredients of the Fryske Mienskip Oanpak (based on the Icelandic Prevention Model) 1. Focused on meeting (social involvement and participation) and exercise (healthy lifestyle) 2. For all life stages (kids, young people, adults and elderly) 3. With activities in the field of sports, music, art and volunteer work 4. Initiated by the local community 5. With as many stakeholders as possible (broad support) 6. Professional support and local reinforcement of knowledge and skills 7. Connecting to and strengthening existing initiatives and activities 8. Working from hubs (schools and village halls/community centers) 9. Long-term financing (fundraising) 10. Periodic monitoring, evaluation and adjustment |
OKO
And then back to the IPM or OKO, as the approach is called in the Netherlands. The Health Management Committee of the Safety Region Friesland recently decided to also start the OKO approach in our province. After all, there is already a national program for that and let’s start where the energy is. We do this from the coalition ‘Healthy Living’ of the Frisian Prevention Approach. In view of the broader possibilities that we see, it has been decided to focus the approach in Friesland not only on young people aged 10 to 18 years, but on the entire life phase ‘young’, as the FPA has defined it, from 4 to 18 year. And we are not only focusing on preventing substance use, but broadly on meeting and exercise. In my opinion, the OKO approach should then have a ripple effect on the other phases of life.
In my position paper I present a vision and make some initial guiding statements for a Frisian Community Approach. This obviously needs to be further developed. That is why I am pleased that the FPA governance platform recently adopted my position paper as an inspiration document; with the assignment to a task force from the Program Management Team of the FPA to further develop this. The Health Management Committee has also indicated that it wants to be involved at the front end of this development. In short: to be continued.
Jouke Douwe de Vries MSc
Read my position paper about the Frisian Community Approach here
Read my position paper in Dutch here
Illustration: Friese Preventie Aanpak (Frisian Prevention Approach)
[1] Sigfusdottir, I., Kristjansson, A., Gudmundsdottir, M., & Allegrante, J. (2011). Substance use prevention through school and community-based health promotion: a transdisciplinary approach from Iceland. Global health promotion, 18(3), 23–26.
[2] The Atlantic – Young, E. (2017). How Iceland Got Teens to Say No to Drugs [Article]. The Atlantic, January 19, 2017.
[3] Sigfusdottir, I., Kristjansson, A., Gudmunsdottir, M., & Allegrante, J. (2010). A collaborative community approach to adolescent substance misuse in Iceland. International psychiatry: bulletin of the Board of International Affairs of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 7(4), 86–88.
[4] Sigfusdottir, I., Thorlindsson, T., Kristjansson, A., Roe, K., & Allegrante, J. (2008). Substance use prevention for adolescents: the Icelandic Model. Health promotion international. 24. 16-25.