Regional drug conference opens in Belize City

Managers of drug prevention and mental health programs from thirteen Caribbean countries are taking part in two training workshops in Belize. The first of these sessions started today at the Radisson Fort George Hotel. The four-day workshop, which is being hosted by the National Drug Abuse Control Council, is part of an education program for OAS member countries funded by the Inter-American Children Institute, Inter American Drug Control Commission and the Government of Belize. According to the School and Community Coordinator of N.D.A.C.C., Keith Emmanuel, the objective of this workshop is important for both the individual countries and the region.

Keith Emmanuel, School & Community Coordinator, N.D.A.C.C.

“To allow high level personnel especially managers of drug prevention programs and mental health programs from the Caribbean region to get together and look at the various programs we have been running in our country. To see how effective they are, to discuss them, to find out if they need resources and to look at the strengths and build on them, in terms of trying to eliminate the weaknesses.

It gives us an opportunity to do some strategic planning in terms of what we really need to do to be more effective; in terms of putting together a more appropriate drug abuse prevention and mental health promotion within the region and individual countries as well. We are looking at it in the regional perspective as well because we know that we have very many things that are similar to each other.”

The second workshop, for drug prevention workers of Caribbean OAS member countries, will take place June twenty-second to twenty-sixth at Windy Hills Resort in San Ignacio.