KIDS Support Groups in Brazil

Children are one of the most vulnerable group of people when it comes to addiction issues because they are directly affected when their parents consume. KIDS Support Groups are therefore a safe space for children where they can talk with others and get support individually. When one parent is suffering from addiction, the whole family is affected by the harm it causes, which is why the KIDS support groups are such an indispensable development to the work of the Blue Cross in Brazil.

There are various ways to speak with children. In Jaraguá, they held a meeting in the “cinema and debate” format with the theme family. Formats like these allow children to speak about their experiences and struggles at home. Other creative forms of connecting with children are activities and games related to drug prevention with themes like “you are special”.

There are meetings not only with children, but also with teenagers. The Blue Cross in Brazil realized a group meeting about the theme “friendship and decisions”. These regular meetings for teens provide positive guidance during a critical time in one's life when behavior and decision making are easily influenced. Furthermore, the teenagers learn to talk with peers who live in similar environments. They have the possibility to create a network of people to rely on and trust. Recording radio programs about prevention or publishing prevention magazines and comics are creative ways of reaching young people too.

In the last few months, the employees have dedicated themselves to carrying out training for new volunteers, visits, trips and activities related to drug prevention. They made trainings with indigenous people where they distinguish the work of the KIDS Support Group. They had the opportunity to organize meetings with children belonging to various ethnic groups in different indigenous villages with the theme “Saying no to bad choices”. They also spoke with the children teachers who committed to applying the prevention material weekly at school. Talking about addiction and its related harm in local schools is essential to spread awareness.                                                                                             

Thanks to your support in Brazil this work is creating better environments for children and having positive effects in their future life! The work of KIDS Support Groups in Brazil impacted many lives in the past and will change the lives of many more in the future. Thank you for being a part of our vision to change the world for the better!