As the educational director for both in-class and online drug classes I like to see communities get involved to help keep our kids off of drugs. It is also interesting to see how drug education is handled in other countries. This blog will look at one program in Hong Kong.
One such program is Life Education Activity Program (LEAP) which highly advocates that education is the key to ensuring that more young people are fully aware of the dangers involved in drug. As reported in www.scmp.com.
LEAP is the leading drug prevention education organization in Hong Kong, helping young people establish a healthy lifestyle and become aware of the dangers of drugs, including cigarettes and alcohol. For the past 19 years, it has taken its internationally recognized health awareness and drug prevention programs to both the local and international schools.
Teenagers have to take responsibility for their actions. They have to realize the damage they will do to themselves by taking drugs. What I really like is that they target primary and secondary schools. Helping young people to make responsible choices is precisely what LEAP has been doing.
I have always believed that young people need to be better informed about the effects drugs can have on their lives from an early age.
Parents are Key Too
LEAP also recognizes the vital role parents play and will reach more than 90,000 students next year when it celebrates its 20th anniversary.
At the same time, LEAP has been awarded a grant by the Beat Drugs Fund, which allows it to offer a free parent program that will benefit 12,500 parents to help foster drug-free families for three years.
This parent program will help equip parents with the knowledge on improving parental skills, and also on detecting signs of drug abuse among their children.
Only by knowing the dangers of drugs could parents be in a position to help the positive development of their children, and to help prevent drug abuse in the family.
I am encouraged by the government's decision to make more resources available for promoting awareness among parents of the drug problem. Drug education is the key to keeping kids from ever experimenting with drugs and alcohol.