All programmes delivered by the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) may now be accessed online using the Drug Education Through Technology approach.
Deputy Manager of the NCSA, Troy Wickham, said the approach aims to transform the NCSA’s programme delivery for children and adults, by maximising available outlets in the modern learning environment.
He made these comments as he addressed the launch of the Barbados Boy Scouts’ Virtual Badge Day through a virtual press conference, recently.
As a result of these changes, persons may now access NCSA’s programmes through podcasts, online courses, video tutorials, PDF downloads, reference videos, online support, online assessment and evaluations.
“The requirements of the world, as we know it, are changing at a rapid pace. We, the inhabitants/actors of the world, must adapt as fast as possible. With that being said, the NCSA has changed the way we service our various publics and modified several of our drug education programmes.
“The Barbados Boy Scouts’ Association is amongst the first to benefit from one of our modified programmes,” Mr. Wickham said.
He explained that the Boy Scouts’ Association reached out to the NCSA for training assistance for their leaders, to support the newly developed substance abuse awareness badge.
The partnership, the Deputy Manager pointed out, provided the NCSA with the opportunity to interact with the population outside of regular school hours and has resulted in the training of more than 100 leaders and over 500 boys, between the ages of four and 18.
He added that the training would also be facilitated with the use of virtual platforms and the focus would be on topics such as Drug Awareness, Drugs and the Society, Drugs and Youth, and the legal consequences of drugs, as well as an overview of the local global drug situation.
Mr. Wickham also said the programme was expanded and the curriculum updated and made available for all uniformed youth groups with the option of including additional topics to increase its suitability for a wider target audience.
“The alignment of this programme with organised youth groups is in keeping with recognised preventative efforts to reduce risks, while enhancing protective factors,” Mr. Wickham pointed out.