The Project Closing Program of "Combating Addiction on Campus: Volunteer Leaders Training" was held at the Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Atatürk Congress and Cultural Center (AKM).

Officials from the Samsun Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and Yeşilay also participated in the program

The training led by the Addiction Implementation and Research Center (OMÜBAM) saw participation from Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Murat Terzi, Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor of Samsun Selçuk Cebeci and Public Prosecutor Anıl Kubal, President of Samsun Yeşilay Branch Emre Güneş, academics, and students. The event closed with presentations by Dr. Lecturer Figen Çavuşoğlu on the "Project End Report," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selçuk Özdin from OMU Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry on "Addiction and Treatment," and Samsun Yeşilay Branch President Emre Güneş on "Yeşilay."

The program started with the "Project End Report" by OMÜBAM Director and Project Manager Dr. Lecturer Figen Çavuşoğlu.

Director Dr. Lecturer Çavuşoğlu: "An interactive and more realistic content was prepared involving direct stakeholders in the field"

Dr. Lecturer Çavuşoğlu first explained how the project idea emerged, saying, "Towards the end of the semester, some of our students taking the elective course 'Addiction and Combating Addiction' at our university expressed their desire to undertake a concrete project. We then brainstormed and, based on the outputs, shaped the project. The research team included Lecturer Uğur Kaçmaz and students Ayşe Şerife Eke, Secem Yegül, Mine Aydoğdu, Seynanur Akbulut, and Özlem Dağdelen, involving a total of 25 students over a 12-week training program. Rather than just lecturing, we prepared interactive and realistic content involving direct stakeholders from related fields."

Experts from various fields contributed to the project

Director Çavuşoğlu discussed the contributions from experts in various fields, "Invited speakers included sports coach Ela Aydın and gym manager Hüseyin Kurt, social media influencer Zehra Fikriye Ceng on social media addiction, Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Selçuk Cebeci and Prosecutor Anıl Kubal on the legal aspects, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oya Sevcan Orak who presented coping skills with creative drama, Lecturer Filiz Koçoğlu on gambling addiction, and Tülay Barulay Yılmaz and Betül Turan Esen from YEDAM (Yeşilay Counseling Center). The training also included visits to Samsun AMATEM (Alcohol and Drug Addicts Treatment and Research Center), film analyses, and case discussions, making it a highly interactive educational program."

"Our goal is to advance students' knowledge, awareness of substance addiction, and self-efficacy in protection against substance addiction"

In later parts of her speech, Director Çavuşoğlu focused on the project's goals and outcomes: "Our aim with the implemented training program was to enhance students' knowledge level, awareness towards substance addiction, and self-efficacy in protecting against substance addiction. A secondary goal was to increase the project and research-related knowledge and experience of our students involved in the project as researchers, considering OMU's status as a 'Candidate Research University.' Regarding the Research and Development (R&D) outcomes of the project, at the end of the program, students showed significant improvement in their self-efficacy levels regarding protection against substance addiction, while their knowledge levels and awareness increased but did not show significant differences. Additionally, students' feedback and suggestions were collected at the end of the training program. The project generally corrected students' misconceptions about addiction, eliminated their prejudices, and positively impacted them, with suggestions to reach more students and ensure the continuity of such projects. These findings were also supported by other data collected."

Director Çavuşoğlu concluded her presentation with hopes to expand this program to more students and re-evaluate the content of the 'Addiction and Combating Addiction' course accordingly. Dr. Lecturer Çavuşoğlu expressed her gratitude to the members of OMU Young Yeşilay Community and Community President Bilal Kaya for their support for many studies and this project.

Following Director Çavuşoğlu's presentation, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selçuk Özdin from OMU Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, made his presentation on "Addiction and Treatment."

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selçuk Özdin: "Protective and preventive measures are essential and vital in this process"

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özdin, in his presentation, emphasized the importance of family, individual, and environmental factors in addiction, noting that protective and preventive measures are crucial and lifesaving in this process. He highlighted the need to increase the number of such projects, especially for university students who are in the risk group, and added that there is no one-size-fits-all rule in treatment, as the approach must be tailored to the individual.

Branch President Güneş: "YEDAM in Samsun conducts counseling and rehabilitation"

Lastly, Emre Güneş, President of the Samsun Yeşilay Branch, in his presentation titled "Yeşilay," shared information about Yeşilay and its activities. He reminded attendees that YEDAM (Yeşilay Counseling Center) in Samsun performs counseling and rehabilitation work, playing an active role in preventive measures. President Güneş also thanked Bilal Kaya, President of the OMÜ Young Yeşilay Student Community, for their efforts and contributions at the University.

The "Combating Addiction on Campus: Volunteer Leaders Training" Project Closing Program concluded with the distribution of participation certificates to the students involved in the project and certificates of appreciation to the invited guests who participated in the project training sessions, followed by a group photo.