Whoever has ever tried to influence society in any manner, one of their prime targets is youth. And it should be likewise. We all are going to leave this planet to them, and it is our responsibility that it is handed in well qualified and capable hands.
But when we go through the stats of substance abuse, the findings are overwhelming. According to a study conducted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, the prevalence of Alcohol use is 4.6%, followed by Cannabis at 2.8% and opioids at 2.1%. Some stats reveal that the prevalence of Alcohol might even mount up to 14.6 Percentage in India (Almost 16 Crore People!). We are certain that this percentage might be much higher in reality. It is certainly disheartening.
Sadly, young minds are the greatest victims of substance abuse, and there are hardly any people spreading awareness related to the extent of harm that these drugs can induce. Lack of awareness among the people in remote or rural areas is even more overwhelming. One such area is Soot Mill Kacchi Basti.
Soot Mill Kacchi Basti is one of the 308 slums in Jaipur which is situated behind Ram Mandir, BaniPark. It has close to 450 families. The living conditions here described by the habitats are ill-ventilated and suffocative. There is also a lack of basic necessities in this area (For ex. definite water source, electricity, drainage, etc.) Naturally, habitants of this area are prone to substance abuse, and we decided to abate their problems from the beginning of this year itself.
We initiated Chopal in this area for a starter. It is an initiative of Mindroot to spread awareness related to Mental Health. We have some standard packages of services which includes distribution of pamphlets, signature campaigns, seminars on substance use and disorder, quiz and prizes to the winner, OPD, etc. All of which makes people more engaged in the overall activities.
Earlier, it was a bit difficult to attract people to all of this. So that is why we included boot camp activities, educational activities and distribution of food, dress, etc., organising picnics for children and so forth. This slowly encouraged more and more young people to participate either as a volunteer or to seek help.
That is all we could have asked for. So we started visiting this area two times a month on the first and third of Thursday. We started doing a variety of things to grab their attention, and it worked. Children and youngsters in huge numbers started coming every time, and we were able to help more and more people from these areas.
Grabbing children’s attention is not difficult, and their curious minds are always filled with questions. Most of the time, we shun them, and they start to indulge in these types of things. That is why grabbing their attention in the right manner is so important, and we have been doing that successfully in the past couple of months.
By doing boot camp activities, where we do so many different physical activities, they automatically end up feeling refreshed and happy. We play different kinds of games with them as well, and we sometimes get so involved that we forget about the purpose as well. We also distribute different novelties to them, which gives them the motivation to come and contribute.
Last week, children prepared a speech on the topic, “Their contribution or responsibility towards family and household chores.” Children actively prepared honest speeches and gave us insights into how they help their families.
Between 6-8 AM, we do all such activities. Between 8-10 AM, Dr D S Poonia assesses people who are prone to substance abuse. For some, counselling is enough, and for some, we provide them prescriptions and medicines as well. We have also tried to encourage all of them to intervene in Sanitation and Hygiene.
All of the people hold so much potential in themselves that many have successfully overcome their addictions. Not only that, but they are also encouraging other people to leave all this as well.
With a sweet combination of all these activities, people from Soot Mill are coming out as happier and brighter young people. If we want to spur our nation’s growth, the right direction is very important and educating them about all these things is extremely vital. We hold a lot of potentials, and we cannot afford to waste any of it. We encourage everyone to remove the stigma related to mental health and substance abuse and aim for a healthier and more productive society.
We hope to expand our reach in the upcoming period, and you can contribute to our aim in your own way as well.