Cadet recruits receive drug awareness training

Young recruits of the Barbados Cadet Corps are now more knowledgeable about the dangers of using various types of drugs and alcohol.

This comes after recruits participated in an educational workshop conducted by the National Council of Substance Abuse (NCSA) on Saturday at Harrison College. Participants involved in the drug awareness training were mainly first and second form students drawn from various secondary schools across the island.

Barbados Cadet Corps’ Captain Philip Eno, who works with Central Recruiting, explained why the NCSA was invited to conduct the day’s session.

“The Barbados Cadet Corps is all about leadership, healthy lifestyle and ensuring that individuals function as productive members of the society. So our feeling at the headquarter level is that young people should be aware of the dangers, the perils, the pitfalls of life and we think that awareness of drugs and drug activities is something that they should be aware of.”

He added through the session it is hoped the soon-to-be members of the Corps would influence their peers not use drugs or drink alcohol. “We think that it is vital that they get early exposure at this level. Like I said, Cadet Corps is all about healthy lifestyles and leadership so hopefully, having been exposed to this, they can positively influence their peers instead of being influence negatively by their peers.”

Deputy Manager (Acting) at the NCSA, Wendy Greenidge said that some of the topics which were covered included “drugs directly… peer refusal skills and decision making skills, [as well as] exercises where they experienced what it was like to be intoxicated without being intoxicated”.

They had the opportunity to use goggles which simulated various levels of impairment, and they then tried to do some exercises which they would normally do quite easily if they were not impaired.
(MG)