RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTION PLAN
RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTION PLAN
At the conclusion of the Asian Youth Congress on Drug Abuse
Prevention, held in Sanur, Bali, from Aug. 26 to Aug. 29,
hundreds of young participants pledged to adopt and uphold the
following recommendations and action plan:
1. We, as the young generation, pledge to be united against
drugs, despite our differences in culture.
2. We are committed to avoiding gateway drugs and stand firm in
our decision to say "no" to drugs.
3. We vow not to treat drug addicts as criminals but as human
beings and to always be supportive of people who want to be free
of drugs.
4. We promise to be active and proactive and to create and
implement effective activities for drug abuse prevention.
It is our intention to make this pledge a reality not only on
paper, but also through our actions. The first step will be
sharing what we have experienced here with our peers back at
home.
The congress yielded several recommendations and action plans
as followed:
School-based programs
*Recommendations:
- Principals and teachers need to be trained in drug
prevention education and they should be drug and tobacco free.
- There should be drug prevention counseling centers at every
school.
- Information on the dangers of drug use should be made
available at all schools not just those in the capital.
* Action plan:
- To participate actively in the formulation of school-based
programs.
- To volunteer in regional areas to provide information and
counseling for students who don't have access to drug prevention
information.
What can young people do?
* Recommendations:
- There should be a balance of cooperation between the
schools, the communities, homes, etc.
- People of influence who can provide moral support, financing
and facilities need to back up the youth. Nevertheless, young
people should also be active in raising funds and resources.
- The youth should be taken seriously and included as
competent stakeholders in the fight against drugs.
* Action plans:
- To help in reducing the use of drugs, including alcohol, in
people who are addicted.
- To use music, movies, computers and other means to increase
the impact of prevention efforts and make prevention something
the youth want to be a part of.
Media Literacy
* Recommendations:
- Media makers should not display mixed messages that warn of
the dangers of drugs, both legal and illegal, while at the same
time glorifying but not showing the real effect they have on
users.
- Education that helps youth interpret the real meaning of
media messages need to be included in prevention efforts.
* Action plan:
- To view the media not simply as consumers but as discerning
individuals who can understand the intention of both advertisers
and other media-makers and thus protect ourselves against pro-
drug abuse tendencies.