The International Consortium of Addiction Related Organizations, or ICARO, held their annual ICAR (International Colloquium on Addictions & Recovery) conference in Thailand earlier this week. Met by an enthusiastic crowd from across Southeast Asia, the three-day event took place at the Duangtawan Hotel in Chiang Mai from September 9-11. The aim of ICAR is to bring the recovery community together, specifically those working in leadership roles, to act as advocates for change and awareness as they relate to recovery. Kembali Co-Founder, Clayton Mallette, had the delightful honor of participating in this year’s event.
[blockquote text=”“I was very excited that our center had been invited to participate,” Clayton said. “Mr. Tay Bian How, the president of the organization, and the other board members are very dedicated to helping those searching for recovery, and those who are in recovery now.”” text_color=”” width=”” line_height=”undefined” background_color=”” border_color=”” show_quote_icon=”no” quote_icon_color=””]
How ICARO works as an association.
In short, is that an elected General Assembly acts as the governing body of the consortium. They make decisions about things like general policy, budget, and annual membership fees. Their job is also to elect Executive Council members, including the President and the Vice President of the consortium. The mandate for Executive Council members expires after a two-year period, at which point members are eligible for reelection for one more term. Members of ICARO all share in the desire to provide addiction treatment, solution, and substance abuse education, as well as to address specific populations in need of support.
[blockquote text=”“Being a new center, I believe it was an honor for us just to be able to attend this event, and would like to thank the board and all the other participants for making it such a fun and informative conference,” Clayton said. “The best way to battle addiction is from a unified front.”” text_color=”” width=”” line_height=”undefined” background_color=”” border_color=”” show_quote_icon=”no” quote_icon_color=””]
Attendees of ICAR this year learned about things like substance abuse interventions in communities with growing economies in an effort to foster healthier, safer populations globally. ICARO Members come together at events like these to help carry out better quality education and care to help prevent, treat, and rehabilitate of those battling addiction in Southeast Asia. Founding members of the consortium come from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
[blockquote text=”“It’s amazing to see so many countries and cultures coming together to fight addiction and provide recovery for those in need,” Clayton said. “It’s a big step forward for us at kembali, and we look forward to working with ICARO in the future. We’re excited to see what happens next.”” text_color=”” width=”” line_height=”undefined” background_color=”” border_color=”” show_quote_icon=”no” quote_icon_color=””]