{"id":421297,"date":"2026-01-18T13:46:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T13:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/421297\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T13:46:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T13:46:18","slug":"rc-archbishop-warns-of-youth-mental-health-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/421297\/","title":{"rendered":"RC Archbishop warns of youth mental health crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\tNews<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t\tYvonne Webb
\n\t<\/a><\/p>\n

2 Days Ago<\/p>\n

\"ArchbishopArchbishop Charles Jason Gordon during a mass at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, Port of Spain on April 7, 2023.. – File photo by Angelo Marcelle<\/p>\n

Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon has warned that the well-being of TT\u2019s children is at serious risk, calling for immediate action from \u201cevery sector, every citizen, and every church\u201d to confront a growing crisis of youth suicide, self-harm and emotional distress.<\/p>\n

Gordon was speaking ahead of a national news briefing \u2013The Urgency of Now: A National Call to Save Our Children \u2013 scheduled for January 19 from 8.30 to 9.15 am, at the Archbishop\u2019s House, Port of Spain. The briefing is an initiative of the Samaritan Movement, a national trauma-response programme commissioned by the Archdiocese of Port of Spain.<\/p>\n

The archbishop is expected to deliver remarks outlining a national youth mental health initiative and the church\u2019s response to what organisers describe as an escalating emergency affecting children across the country.<\/p>\n

In a statement supporting Gordon\u2019s call, programme manager of the Samaritan Movement, Darrion Narine, said TT had reached a breaking point.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur children are in crisis. Across primary and secondary schools, an alarming surge in emotional distress, self-harm and trauma is being reported \u2014 not as isolated incidents, but as a daily reality,\u201d Narine said.<\/p>\n

Drawing on the movement\u2019s work over the past year, Narine said every school visited showed signs of serious emotional strain among students.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery school we visited this past year had students in visible distress, some crying out for help, others silently suffering. Teachers and principals are overwhelmed and exhausted,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

The movement reported that in a small sample of 48 students, 40 per cent disclosed thoughts or behaviours related to self-harm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not just a statistic; these are sons, daughters, brothers and sisters,\u201d Narine said. \u201cWithout urgent intervention, this wave of trauma and hopelessness will deepen. We cannot afford to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the statement, the January 19 briefing will bring together mental health professionals, educators and faith leaders to address the growing evidence of trauma and self-harm in schools, the long-term consequences of inaction on families and communities, and the church\u2019s role as a source of healing and hope.<\/p>\n

Organisers stressed that the event is intended to be more than a press conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a rallying cry to government, corporate leaders, NGOs, educators and every household,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThe time to act is now. Our children cannot wait for another report, another committee, or another tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Samaritan Movement is urging the government to declare the situation a national emergency and to prioritise trauma-informed education and community care. It is also calling on the private sector to fund mental health initiatives that extend into schools and homes.<\/p>\n

Civil society organisations and faith-based communities are being asked to mobilise networks of care, mentorship and safe spaces, while parents and citizens are encouraged to listen, speak up and stand together.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, too many of our young people carry silent wounds,\u201d Narine said. \u201cThis movement exists to turn Trini voices, culture and community into medicine \u2014 building stronger families, safer classrooms and a future filled with hope.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"News Yvonne Webb 2 Days Ago Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon during a mass at the Cathedral of Immaculate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":421298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[221775,64,63,137,221776,514,515],"class_list":{"0":"post-421297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-archbishop-charles","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-jason-gordon","13":"tag-mental-health","14":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=421297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/421298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=421297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=421297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=421297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}