Innovation

"It's a reconstruction of their whole lives" in the words of Julio Barradas, referring to young people submerged in the problems of addictions not only to drugs, alcoholism, and other substances but also vandalism, sex, depression and/or suicidal thoughts. "We offer not only psychological therapy that can be found elsewhere, but also "New intensive programs, not placebos, that help them identify these types of behaviours from their beginnings and really help them to reach a state of well-being in the child and young person - we're talking about social well-being".

CER works in different spheres, including initial contact with schools, teachers and administrators to present preventive educational programs, workshops and talks - "From there we work as a tripartite coalition - school, family and CER - detecting needs of emotional and behavioural values and intervening in programs of at least 4 months in achieving the recuperation of children and youth."

In the same way they participate in musical, artistic, and sport activities generating spaces that as Julio shared with us, "becoming a second home, where they feel comfortable."

Inspiration

Julio shares the fact that CER came into being because of the lack of specialized prevention and rehabilitation centers for youth, "which did not have complete programs for young people. They brought structures created for adults, focused on behavioral problems, but not going beyond that to what could be achieved with the youth and their recovery processes."

"I worked 4 years in these rehabilitation centers and saw how young people arrived, who's problem was not addiction to substances totally and did not present other types of addictive behaviors. However when they were mixed with other participants they experienced much confusion because the model of treatment was focused on addiction to substances, which actually provoked addictions of this type in young people who entered without this problem "

Overall impact

Centro CER, is located in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico and for 7 years has treated and reached out to more than a thousand children and young people - 60% in programs of prevention; 25% have participated in intervention through integral programs, "of these young people we have had the satisfaction that 80% have recovered and now they are the ones that voluntarily participate to take care of and guide new participants; the remaining 16% percent have received individualized therapy." Julio comments.

"It'a a model that should be replicated in all countries providing spaces for young people," "Reconstructing communities," "Reconstructing lives"

Business benefit

CER's business model is precisely to provide service to a need to rebuild the social fabric with young people. The sustainability of the company is based on different sources of income, from the collection of quotas for individual therapies, manufacture and sale of "ecological art" from raw material collected in recycling campaigns, the sale of artistic expressions of our participants and the fees collected through the workshops and talks given in businesses as other sources of income.

Currently Julio, is looking for new business models that with the participation of youth and children themselves can expand to more communities.

Social and environmental benefit

"We have had children between 9 and 10 years of age who have already tried glass or marijuana, come from communities of scarce resources where the social fabric is more contaminated by substance addiction"

"It is not only necessary but an obligation to offer the intervention of this type of business and practices that help all of us to re-work the social fabric that with the passage of time continues to be affected."

Julio is currently looking for new business models that, with the participation of youth and children themselves, can expand into more communities and, in addition to continuing to generate social benefits, will expand much more to achieve environmental benefits.

Interview

Julio Barradas, CER, Centro Educativo de Readaptacion Juvenil