SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS account for the highest number of referrals to the Centre For Counselling Addiction Support Alternatives (CASA).
Speaking to the DAILY NATION after a service to launch CASA’s tenth anniversary week of activities yesterday, president Orlando Jones said there was a noticeable increase in referrals in 2010.
Of the 199 cases last year, 93 came from secondary schools. Thirteen were primary school children and seven tertiary students.
There were 114 referrals in the 13 to 21 age group. The institution also treated people 50 years and over.
“We had quite a lot of referrals, coming from particularly the schools,” Jones reported.“I think it’s partly to do with the fact that this is a societal problem. We know that there are a lot of problems within the community itself, children becoming angry, aggressive and obviously trying to establish their rights and what have you . . . .
“Maybe they do mimic some of what the adults show; children basically learn from adults and I think they copy some of the adults’ behaviour. They learn a lot from the Internet and the social network and you can’t stop that because they have access. So it’s not one problem, it’s a multitude of problems,” he explained.
Jones voiced concern about the high number of youngsters coming to CASA with anger management problems. “They’re angry, they’re getting vex, they’re lashing out, so they have problems at school [and] within the community, and so we need to address where this anger is coming from,” he said. “My own view, basically, is that I think Barbados basically we have people who are latently angry. Maybe children probably show it more than adults, they tend to feel free to let it out.”
He said he was not sure how effective were the agencies which were working with the youth.
“A number of organisations go into schools and yet here we are, a small organisation like CASA, we still are getting a hell of a lot of people coming to us,” he remarked.
“The Edna Nicholls School is there. As you know, that is a Government institution and a significant number of our clients come through the Edna Nicholls School because they don’t have the resources to work with these children over a long-term period.”
Even though the resources at CASA are limited, Jones said they had a good record when it came to repeats.“We have a very small number of persons who come back to us – I would say one or two per cent, if that many,” Jones boasted.Despite the successes, Jones said the organisation continues to have a problem with financing.
It gets funding from the Ministry of Health. Previously there was aid from the National Councilon Substance Abuse (NCSA).
Jones said CASA depended on contributions from corporate Barbados and the assistance of volunteers.
CASA is also looking to set up a facility where adolescents can undergo drug detoxification and other treatment.
