Descripción

The strategy named Areas of University Orientation (known in Spanish as ZOU) is a complex process that takes place in several areas of Colombia, in line with the national policy in order to reduce the use of psychoactive substances (SPA) and its impacts (2007), according to the model of social inclusion for people in consumption, with the objective of promoting the transformation of social representations associated with different practices that contribute to exclusion and discrimination of students, professors, administrative staff and other people, as a result of drug use, for creating health promoting practices, and prevention, mitigation and self-regulation of drug consumption through the integration of the subjects in university life, strengthening networks and developing inclusive attitudes and practices that promote healthy lifestyles and improve the quality of life of the university community. (Ministry of Health and Social Protection, 2013). Six higher education institutions (SENA, Mariana University -project operator-, CESMAG Institution, San Martin University Institution, Cooperative University of Colombia -UCC in Spanish- and the University of Nariño) accepted the challenge of being pioneers of the implementing of this strategy, under the advantages of the IAP -Research-action-participation-. For this reason the work was created with the community and from the community in order to promote the active participation and open discussion of complex issues such as drugs consumption, where they were detected some social representations associated with different practices that generate exclusion and discrimination as a result of drug use.