Clark students take advantage of the opportunities that the Worcester community provides, such as being mentors and working in different organizations. On campus clubs provide different activities to the Clark community, including bringing speakers to raise awareness. On April 17, a group of students from the ¨Arts and Sciences of Management¨ class with the help of the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) hosted an event where they invited Cafe Reyes' workers. The goal was to raise awareness about treating drug addiction. Cafe Reyes is part of the Hector Reyes house which is a place that gives a home to, mostly but not exclusively, Latin American men who are recovering from drug addiction. As part of the program, they work in Cafe Reyes to re-adapt into the community.
During the event, the students had the opportunity to hear three different stories from people who work in the cafe. The interesting thing is that, even if they all come from the Latin community, their experiences while recovering were completely different. They all, however, mentioned experiencing difficulty admitting they had a problem. It is important to notice that in the Latin community the man has to be the one who takes care of the family, and admitting that you need help can make you feel emasculated. I am not saying that this is true, but many Latin men feel the necessity of being strong for their families. The Hector Reyes house provides a space for these Latinos to finish their recovery and reconnect with their families.
I was surprised to learn that it is really difficult to find a detox program because there are certain parameters that you have to fit in. The problem with this is that not everyone has the opportunity to be treated and as they said: addiction is a disease. If addicts that seek to recover do not find a place where they can be treated, it is easier for them to relapse. Not everyone has the luck to realize they need help. Sometimes the realization hits when they have an overdose and are lucky to survive. They said that if the system does not change it is very possible that an entire generation will be lost. Everyone wants to get better, but finding the resources is hard. For them, having Cafe Reyes is a blessing because they can raise awareness and help others who are suffering reach the path of recovery.
If you want to know more about Cafe Reyes and the Hector Reyes House, please visit their web page (http://www.lahaworc.org), or visit the Cafe, located on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, to meet their employees.
