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UNIT 3 Health, social and environmental responsibility and the world of work
LEARNING AIMS
After learners have completed this unit, they must be able to do the following:
Identify drug abuse and be able to apply prevention methods. Be able to identify environmental problems and be able to apply problem-solving skills to address them. Be able to interpret the working environment and all the aspects surrounding it.
The unit is very comprehensive and addresses various social and environmental issues.
The first social issue is that of drug abuse. Drug abuse is a serious problem under the youth of today. The problem is that teenagers and their parents are not well informed about the problem and dangers of drugs.
In this unit we will look at the different types of drug abuse and the symptoms that accompany them. We will also look at the factors contributing to the use and abuse of drugs. There are also factors that can protect you against it.
The second issue is that of environmental health. A lot of people do not realise that a healthy environment contributes towards a healthy community. There are various projects that you as individual or as a community can start to address the issues and thereby set up a plan to look for solutions.
The last part of the unit is about the world of work. It is important that you know how to adjust to a certain working environment. What should you wear? What kind of tools are required for a certain career? What kind of activities does it entail? In which kind of environment do you work? What are the personality traits required for the specific career?
The other area we look at is school subjects required, where you study for the specific career and how long must you study? It is also important that the career fits in with your interests and abilities and that it adds value to the achievement of these personal needs and potential.
3.1 Lesson 10: Drug abuse (4 hours)
FOR THE CURIOUS
The learner does research on drug abuse. Let the learner use newspapers, magazines, the Internet and, if possible, the library.
The information below is just for the insight of the facilitator. It will help you to assist the learner with his/her research.
The information below was taken from Huisgenoot of 29 March 2012 regarding alcohol, drug and sex abuse among teenagers:
Out of 205 children from Grade 8 to 12: 38% had sex. About a third have smoked cigarettes. 12% have smoked marijuana 67% of children which have started drinking when they were younger than 15 years will later also use drugs. 50% have used alcohol. 3% have used tik. Some have used ecstacy, cocaine, CAT, hallucinogenic mushrooms or LSD and have sniffed glue and petrol.
The learner can give his/her opinion regarding places for children with addiction problems.
Help the learner to identify places.
ACTIVITY 10
The learner’s opinion is always very important. The facilitator must take the learner’s insight and way of thinking into account. However, the scenario is written in such a way that deductions can be made easily. The learner must also refer to the content of the lesson to answer 4, 5 and 6.
1. He believed he didn’t have a problem (1) and that it was just his lifestyle choice (1) and that he could stop using drugs at any time. (1) (3)
2. At 26 years his life becomes a nightmare. (1) He loses his self-respect (1) and hurts himself (1) and the people around him (1). He is desperate to stop but cannot. (1) (5)
3. Alex is clean from drugs (1) and he is the director of a rehabilitation centre and helps other addicts (1). (2)
4. Learner can name any FIVE of the following:
Behavioural factors:
1. The person steals expensive items. 2. The person steals alcohol or medication. 3. The person’s school achievement drastically declines. 4. The person is often absent from school. 5. The person has serious disciplinary problems. 6. The person tells a lot of lies and acts mysteriously. 7. The person makes telephone calls in secret. 8. The person will suddenly stop his/her hobbies or extra-curricular activities. 9. The person has a growing need to get his/her hands on money. 10. The person’s personal style changes – clothes, hair and jewellery. 11. The person is often involved in fights with other people, especially family members, and it sometimes happens that it gets violent.
Physical factors
1. Dark circles under the person’s eyes. 2. The person is constantly tired and exhausted. 3. The person’s nose cavities are infected and his/her nose is continuously runny. 4. The person disregards his/her personal hygiene. 5. The person’s eyes are red and he/she uses eye drops regularly. 6. The person continuously coughs and gets chronic colds. 7. The person’s skin condition declines and he/she gets serious acne. 8. The person’s eating and sleeping patterns change. 9. The person sometimes has jerky body movements. 10. The person gets a serious skin rash. 11. The person smells of alcohol or other drugs, especially those that are smoked. 12. The person shows sudden and drastic weight loss. 13. The person often faints and his/her hands shake.
Emotional factors
1. The person’s moods change within seconds. They can be happy the one second and within minutes they appear depressed. 2. The person wants to spend more and more time alone and withdraws from his/her group of friends or family. 3. The person doesn’t make good decision. He/she sometimes exposes themselves to dangerous situation. 4. The person has a very low self-image.
5. The person is narcissistic, in other word they only focus on themselves. 6. The person blames everyone around him/her for things that go wrong. 7. The person’s personality changes from social and friendly to depressive and anti-social. (5)
5. Learner can name ANY THREE of the following: 1. Teenagers whose parents get divorced and other situations in the household that leave the child alone and vulnerable. The use of drugs helps him/her forget about the situation they find themselves in. 2. Teenagers that live in areas where gangs reign are in many instances forced to use drugs or to sell it. 3. Teenagers whose parents smoke or use drugs themselves. The children grow up with it and will copy it later. 4. Teenagers drink, smoke or use drugs to be “in”. 5. Teenagers are bored and have nothing to do. They are usually in communities where the poverty rate is high. There is no healthy distraction for young people. 6. Teenagers with a low self-esteem use drugs just to be ‘cool’ and to be accepted, even if it is by the wrong group! 7. Teenagers who make the wrong friends. (3)
6. Learner’s own opinion. State any TWO ways which will let the learner help another person. Possible answers are, for example, send the person to a rehabilitation centre (1) and talk to an adult about the problem so that they can help the addict (1). (2)
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FOR THE CURIOUS
Learner does research about global warming. Here is some information for the facilitator:
Definition:
Another term for global warming is climate change. A term that is very important in global warming is the greenhouse effect. It is the heating of the earth’s temperature, when certain gases are emitted and prohibits the sun’s energy to leave the earth’s atmosphere.
