We welcome children who have various psychological issues including addiction to pornography, the Web, gaming and (unhealthy) forms of sexual gratification, problems dealing with anger, peer- pressure, grief, depression, anxiety and self-esteem. Our programme supports such children to regain a healthy mental state free from such issues. We also accept children who are presently unaffected by these issues. They are also offered the Dharma to prevent their downfall.
Some children have come to us with addictions severely impacting their education, overall health and relationships, leading to poor quality of life and bleak prospects for the future. Therefore, the children’s families and friends, teachers and society at large benefit from this programme.
Psychosocial problems related to addiction to pornography, digital devices, television, computer games and unhealthy means of sexual gratification were rising steadily among teenagers. They had discovered new avenues to relieve themselves from pent-up emotional stressors. However, these children were unaware of the catastrophic consequences of their new-found indulgences.
The answer lay in the Dharma. However, a short discourse, a week’s meditation retreat, or bootcamp which are commonplace, did not seem fitting as they did not seem to offer a lasting solution to the problem. We envisaged the solution had to be one child could internalise and use at any point in their lives, not just for the duration of a programme. We wanted to arm them with the metaphorical shield of Buddha’s wisdom to defend themselves in the face of similar adversities in future so that they would be empowered to make the right choices in their lives.