Education / Professionalization|NGO's
Actions to combat drugs include educational actions on the use of narcotics, harm reduction and new employment and leisure options for young people.
About 275 million people use drugs in the world, while more than 36 million suffer from disorders associated with the use of psychotropic drugs, according to the World Drug Report 2021. According to the research, about 5.5% of the population between 15 and 64 years old has used drugs at least once.
According to data from the State Reference Center for Alcohol and Drugs, most cases of chemical dependence begin in youth. There are several psychoactive substances that can alter or damage brain development in adolescence. They alter the function of neurotransmitters, which allow communication with nerves. As a result, the person’s perception is also modified. The habit of use ends up affecting the thinking, reasoning and consciousness developed, and can remain throughout a person’s life.
On June 24th, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was celebrated. The date was created to make the global population aware of this issue, emphasizing the need to combat the social problems created by illicit drugs, in addition to planning actions to combat chemical dependence and drug trafficking.
Currently, the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs constitute one of the most important public health problems in the world, considering the magnitude and diversity of aspects involved.
Therefore, the subject is important and the performance of our employees becomes essential not only for actions to combat drugs, but also for harm reduction and awareness of cases.
The psychologist and instructor of the Discover project, which works with teenagers in socio-educational measures, Flávia Martins reports, below, how the subject is addressed in the project. check out.
“Today we work with young people on a set of practices called harm reduction, which are strategies to reduce the harm associated with the use of psychoactive drugs. In other words, the focus is on preventing harm rather than preventing drug use, as well as working with people who continue to use drugs”, explains Flávia.
At first glance, it may seem that harm reduction encourages the use of psychotropic drugs, but this is not the case. It aims to reduce consumption as a whole. Based on the understanding that many people, despite many efforts both to prevent and stop continuous use, still do not have adequate information and follow-up to keep people safe and healthy for effective treatment.
Flávia also adds that actions to combat drugs begin by creating a safe place where young people can express their desires. “Here at Instituto Ramacrisna, since the beginning of training, this topic has been treated with respect and in such a way that all people can establish bonds to bring their demands. In other words, we left the space open to welcome young people and also share information with the aim of bringing reflections about the damage caused to the physical, mental health and development of each teenager”, she points out.
She also highlights that this process has allowed adolescents to see themselves as an individual, considering the uniqueness of each one, and not just the punitive consequences. “The result has come through care with physical integrity, respect, the search for professionalization, demands for the need to live in other healthier spaces, including returning to school”, she says.
Today, the demand on the topic starts from conversation circles, which are not always scheduled, but appear according to a daily demand within the room, or through individual monitoring. “It is in these moments that qualified listening is important to bring acceptance and punctual interventions in whatever is necessary. In addition to the actions carried out directly with young people, we identified the necessary demands for referral to the protection, health and education network to ensure that young people are served in all their specificities”, she concludes.
One of the participants of the Descubra, MS project, 18 years old, told how the actions to combat drugs in Ramacrisna have expanded its possibilities for the future. Read the testimonial:
“It was a professional opportunity and also to improve some difficulties. The dynamic activities have been important to reflect on my future, my career and the possibilities. And, little by little, I have been able to see some opportunities: I recently won second place in the Young Apprentice Cultural Contest and I was very happy”.
“At the beginning of the course at Instituto Ramacrisna, I used cigarettes and marijuana a lot. After instructor Flávia started talking to us about our body and health, I started to reflect a lot. So, I started to reduce the use of cigarettes, but I can say that with marijuana it has been difficult, but little by little I’m succeeding. So, before, I used to use it at snack time, and I haven’t used it for a while and I haven’t been anxious anymore”.
VGF, 18, says he is still in the process of harm reduction. But the will to change came after his contact with Ramacrisna.
“For me it has been difficult to reduce the use of narcotics, because it affects the body a lot and the person ends up not being able to do without. But I’ve learned that taking care of food, avoiding the places we go to and that can favor use is a way of not using it, and for those who want it, it’s a great initiative. Today, I realize that thanks to the Descubra Program and the Instituto Ramacrisna, I started to want to stop and preserve my health, things that I didn’t think about before, even before I didn’t “believe” that this would work, and now I’m trying hard to be better”.
The Minas Gerais Learning Incentive Program – Descubra! promotes access for adolescents in socially vulnerable conditions to learning programs and professional qualification courses.
The focus of the initiative is to promote education for adolescents and young people between 14 and 21 years old who are complying with socio-educational measures, in institutional shelter or have been rescued from a situation of exploitation of child labor..
In addition to the mandatory subjects, the project developed by Ramacrisna has the differential of offering complementary activities such as robotics workshops, chess classes, programming and 3D printer activities..
Participants also attend lectures with psychologists, social workers and alumni. The Discover project has a workload of 800 hours and duration of 12 months.
The funds for the project come from labor fines. But your contribution can help these young people even more. Donate and be an agent of transformation.
