The National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) will celebrate Drug Awareness Week from Sunday, June 23, to Saturday, June 29, with a series of activities, under the theme: HEALTH 4 JUSTICE. JUSTICE 4 HEALTH.
On Monday, June 24, the NCSA will conduct prayers at Wesley Hall Juniors and Wesley Hall Infants, King Street, The City, from 8:30 a.m.
The following day, Tuesday, June 25, a team from the council will journey to Coleridge and Parry School, at Ashton Hall, St. Peter, for a Drug Awareness Education session at 9:30 a.m.
On Wednesday, June 26, Manager of the NCSA, Betty Hunte, is expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Barbados Drug Information Network (BARDIN) with Heads of Department from eight agencies at 10:00 a.m.
The agencies are: the Psychiatric Hospital, the Substance Abuse Foundation, the Centre for Counselling Addiction and Support Alternatives, the Edna Nicholls Centre, the Royal Barbados Police Force, the Barbados Prison Service, the Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit.
The MOU will formalize the reporting relationships and obligations of the agencies/departments that supply data for BARDIN.
On Friday, June 28, NCSA workers will participate in a ‘Give Back’ with the Salvation Army Feeding Programme where they will assist in serving lunches to the needy in Reed Street, The City, from11:30 a.m.
Drug Awareness Week will culminate on Saturday, June 29, with a workshop for social workers, at the NCSA headquarters, Corner of 1st Avenue Belleville & Pine Road., St. Michael.
Members of the Royal Barbados Police Force will join the NCSA team in facilitating the programme, which starts at 9:30 a.m., and focuses on the Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use.
Opening remarks will be delivered by President of the Barbados Association of Professional Social Workers, Sharon Rose Gittens.