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Youth

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It is normalized in the community
They do not consider substance use and abuse to be problematic nor did they make the link to any negative consequences, medical, psychological and/or social which may result.

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Youth and children - 18years to 29years

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Community based Intervention
-Indicated
-Selective and
-Universal

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Through sporting programmes

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Prevalence

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- There are a number of culture and youth groups
- Businesses in the community support positive programmes
- There is an active Youth Commissioner in the area.

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- the community is saturated with health promotion projects that are marketed as substance abuse prevention programmes

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Barbados is the most easterly island within the Commonwealth Caribbean. It measures 166 square miles and is divided into 11 parishes. The capital, Bridgetown, is situated in the most populous parish: St. Michael. Topographically, Barbados is flat with its highest peak, Mount Hillaby in St. Thomas, being 336 metres above sea level.

The country’s most recent census, conducted in 2010, indicated a population of 277, 821 persons (males: 133, 018; females: 144, 803) (Barbados Statistical Service, 2013) comprised of various       ethnic groups. The estimated distribution of these groups is as follows: black 92.4%; mixed 3.1%; white 2.7%; East Indian 1.3%; other 0.2%; unspecified 0.2% (Index Mundi, 2018). With regards to age, children (0 to 14 years) make up 19.7% of the population while the elderly (ages 65 and over) account for 12.9% (Barbados Statistical Service, 2013).

The residents of Barbados generally enjoy a high standard of living due to the island’s continued political, social and economic stability. Since gaining independence on November 30, 1966, the country has maintained a system of parliamentary democracy. The country is a Parliamentary Republic as of November 30th 2021. The government is headed by a President. The Bicameral parliament in Barbados consists of the Senate and the House of Assembly. Elections are constitutionally due every five years and are conducted using the first past-the-post elections system.

Historically, the sugar industry was Barbados’ primary foreign exchange earner; however, tourism, light industry and the offshore financial services industry have since taken its place.

Education in Barbados
Education is universally accessible and is compulsory for those between five and 16 years of age.
This has contributed to the island having a literacy rate of approximately 99.7%, one of the highest in the world (International Monetary Fund, 2018).

The island’s education system is largely modeled on the British system and is divided into four main levels: pre-primary (ages 3-5), primary (ages 5-11), secondary (ages 11-16) and post-secondary/tertiary (ages 16+) (Ministry of Education, Science, Technology & Innovation, 2015).

The Government provides free pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary education to all citizens. As such, education is predominantly offered by public institutions at all levels (Ministry of Education, Science, Technology & Innovation, 2015). Nevertheless, there are several private pre-primary, primary and secondary schools on island.

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Permissive attitudes towards drug use

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Availability of Life Skills Programmes

Parenting

Sports

Cultural Arts Programmes

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Attracts a lot of Public & Private Sector funding and donations

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Vocational Skills Programme
Ready for Work Programme
Parenting Programme - including Child care and support

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18-29 Men
18 - 29 Young Mothers

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Drugs of choice in this community are recreational marijuana and alcohol

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Marijuana is associated with calming, relaxing behaviour, positive thinking and cognitive improvements.

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Alcohol is considered to be more dangerous than marijuana given its tendency to make persons aggressive.

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cocaine - participants showed disdain for this drug particularly crack cocaine.

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The group expressed desires to further their education. To obtain Caribbean Examinations Council Certificates. This forum can be used to include drug education topics among the timetable

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There are successful children and youth sport and cultural programmes/community groups in the community.

Programmes that target adults seem not to reap as much benefits.

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Alcohol is very accessible for all age groups.
There is a need to educate stakeholders, shop owners, bars, parents and children of the new liquor license legislation passed in 2021 making it illegal for persons under 18 to be sold alcohol, sell alcohol or consume alcohol in Barbados.

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In Haynesville, unemployment, welfare issues, housing and transactional sex are major concerns (p30) Understanding Drug Use in Communities, A report on the findings from Haynesville and its Environs (NCSA, 2014)

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Also perceived stigma and discrimination have been reported