Held in Osaka, Japan from 9-11 July 2012, the 9^th AYC focused on the management of drug prevention projects, from concept to implementation to sustainability.  The theme, “Stay SMART for a Drug-Free Asia,” recognised the key indicators of project management goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented, and Timely – to help youth identify strategies, design project proposals, and implement programs in the field of drug prevention, leading to a strong, SMART, region-wide youth network.

Youth from four countries viz. Japan, Nepal, Philippines and Sri Lanka presented on successful youth led initiatives in drug prevention field in their respective countries in the first plenary session –WALK THE TALK. The facilitators: Mr. Paulus Bobby Hartanto from Indonesia, Ms. Irma Mutuc from Philippines and Mrs. Okty Damayanti from Indonesia discussed the theme of the congress in the second plenary – SMART PROJECT.

 The CSR Division of world’s leading Japanese brand name, Panasonic, provided the participants with an understanding of implementation of CSR projects and the opportunity to learn the strategies and systems put to use in Panasonic CSR Projects. Enthusiastic feedback was received from participants which resulted in very informative sessions conducted by Mr. Akira Hoshi and Mr. Mike Kitadeya.

Nine youth from Bhutan (two), Philippines (one), Japan (three), Pakistan (one), Maldives (one) and India (one) received a two days’ pre-congress training to lead the participants during the two and half days congress.

Asian Youth in Drug Prevention Award – 2012 (AYDPA)

Ms. Frances Ann Teves, Ms. Christine Bardoquillo, Ms. Ella Marie Dimanculangan and Mr. Francisco Yoto Aman Jr. from the Philippines walked away with the ‘Asian Youth in Drug Prevention Award – 2012’ (9^th AYC coin, scholarships to the next AYC and a seed grant of USD 1,000 to implement their project) for writing the best proposal in drug prevention, ‘The Project Ring’.

The End Result – A Take Back For All

The congress was not a simple a one way learning experience but a multi-directional one. Not only were the participants learning through the resource persons, but the participants also learned from each other and even the resource persons learned from the participants.

This outcome is what made the 9th AYC a success and hopefully the relationships and networks created will last for many years to come and help create the Drug-Free world we all strive for.

Art & Culture Night: The Japanese delegation finishing Soran Bushi, a traditional fishing song that is accompanied by a dance depicting ocean waves, net fishing, rope pulling, and other activities of fishermen.

Ms. Frances Ann Teves, Ms. Christine Bardoquillo, Mr. Francisco Yoto Aman Jr. and Ms. Ella Marie Dimanculangan from the Philippines won the ‘Asian Youth in Drug Prevention – 2012’ for best project proposal.

Youth leaders with facilitator, Paulus Bobby Hartanto

Official group photo

Nearly 120 youths from 15 countries participated in the 8th Asian Youth Congress, which was held at Thimphu, Bhutan from 19-22 September 2011. “Together We Can” was the theme of the Congress, which drafted a youth declaration to stand “united” against the growing threat of drug abuse in Asian communities.

The Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme (CPDAP) organized this event in collaboration with the Department of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Education and the Bhutan Narcotic Control Agency (BNCA).

The primary objective of the Congress was to build and maintain a global network through which effective resilience against drug abuse and lessons learnt are shared.

The opening ceremony was graced by the Hon. Minister of the Ministry of Education, the Directors of Bhutan Narcotic Control Agency (BNCA) and the Department of Youth and Sports (DYS), representatives from the Colombo Plan and several officers of MOE, NGOs and the youth delegates from 15 countries.

The Youth Congress was inaugurated by Hon. Minister Lyonpo Thakur S Powdyel, Ministry of Education who highlighted the drug problem in Bhutan and expressed hope that youth gatherings like AYC could lay a foundation for the anti drug campaign in Bhutan.

Mr. Tay Bian How, the chief trainer and Director of the Colombo Plan certification Programme said that the AYC is one of the largest annual events of the Colombo Plan intended to bring together young people from Asia and Pacific region to share their experiences in drug demand reduction programmes in their region. He said AYC is a platform, which propagate the fact that “unity is strength”.

The youth have been an important priority target for the donor agency as they (youths) can make visible changes in the drug demand reduction scenario in the society. He said youths from different countries can work together with some viable networking and collaborations to achieve greater heights in drug prevention.

Ms. Yangchen Dolkar from Bhutan, a youth representative asserted that “together we can” make a difference in the society provided all the youth decides to work together for drug free communities around them.

Plenary sessions on the theme of the Congress and country presentations on youth led initiatives were held as part of the Congress, besides life-skills training, exposure visits and action planning for youth declaration.

The participants have developed an action plan for their respective countries and came out with a Youth Declaration. The declaration emphasized the need for youth led initiatives in the field of drug prevention and resolved to stay away from any addictive substances as a first step to provide leadership in drug demand reduction programmes.

One full day of outing was organized as part of the 8th Asian Youth Congress in which both the international and local participants received ample opportunities to mix together and understand each other’s cultural values. The outing was intended to give an insight into the cultural richness of Bhutan by visiting its cultural capital, Punakha. The participants visited the sacred Buddhist temple and some historical monuments. A cultural night gave each participant a chance to depict the cultural ethos of his or her respective countries.

The CPDAP started to implement this initiative for the first time in Bali, Indonesia in 2002, 2nd in Maldives, 3rd in Singapore, 4th in Penang, Malaysia, 5th in Chiang Mai, Thailand and 6th in Bali, Indonesia and the 7th in Palawan, Philippines.

In collaboration with the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) of the Philippines, HEART Foundation and the local Government of Palawan, Philippines, the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme (CPDAP), organised the four-day Congress, which provided new learning experiences for all the participants.  The AYC represents yet another milestone for the CPDAP for bringing youths in the region together for exposure and training in drug demand reduction. Activities, which enriched their knowledge, were the 2 plenaries, concurrent life skills training workshops handled by the Colombo Plan youth leaders who were trained in previous Congresses and lively outdoor activities.   The spirit of teamwork and cooperation were evident in all these activities, affirming that strength lies in being united in spite of differences.

The Chief Guest at the Opening Ceremony was DDB Chairman, Hon. Secretary Vicente C. Sotto III and the Palawan Governor; Joel T. Reyes who is also the Chairman of the Palawan Anti-Drug Abuse Council welcomed all delegates.

Youths are encouraged to work at their own level to help implement preventive education programmes in their respective country, and to share their experiences through a youth network.  The Colombo Plan Youth Network was launched which would provide this linkage among the youths. New youth leaders were identified who would continue to work together with the Colombo Plan to exert a positive influence on their peers against drug abuse.

The Congress ended with an AYC Art and Culture Night, which was always the highlight of the AYC since it was a night entertainment and fun for the participants.  Youth delegations from different countries took to the stage to sing, dance, and act through their creative presentations.

The Congress was closed with Hon. Congressman of Palawan, Abraham B. Mitra and PDEA Director-General Dionisio R. Santiago, as Guests of Honour.

A special tribute was made to CPDAP in the opening ceremony by 15 youths representing their respective countries for 35 years of continuous contribution in combating the drug menace in the Asia Pacific region. The Secretary General Madam Patricia Chia cut the CPDAP’s 35th Anniversary cake. Two significant educational plenary sessions were held: the first plenary on the theme of the Congress, Prevention Works! by the experts who included the CPDAP Consultant, Mr. Tay Bian How; Mr. Ameen Ibrahim, Executive Director of National Control Board of Maldives; Ms. Pamela Ponce De Leon, Youth Commissioner from Philippines; and Ms. Veronica Colon-dam, CEO of YCAB. The second plenary by the youth leaders on Mobilising Youths to Prevent Drug Abuse was presented by Mr. Jeremiah of Indonesia, Ms. Nutan Nutanbom of India, Rev. Little Jones of Philippines and Ms. Eu Gene of Republic of Korea. Among the fun filled activities included a day of Outdoor Adventure whereby, the youths learned team-building, decision-making, leadership and stress management. The Colombo Plan Art and Culture Night was the culmination of the Congress with cultural presentations by all the participating countries’ delegates. Some of the presentations had anti-drug messages highlighting the theme ‘Prevention Works.’

In the Closing Ceremony of the AYC, all participants made a declaration and a pledge together, reaffirming their stand to stay committed and united to combat all forms of drug use and be active leaders in drug abuse prevention in the region. Mdm. Patricia Chia closed the 6th Asian Youth Congress and presented certificates to the participants.

Due to the lack of social skills, many young people get lured to the abuse of drugs. The Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme (DAP) continues its initiatives to maximise the potential of youth in drug demand reduction activities through the implementation of the series of Asian Youth Congresses and the training of youth leaders in enhancing and integrating Life Skills into drug demand reduction programmes.

The CPDAP held the 5th Youth Congress with support from the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) US Department of State and in collaboration with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board of Thailand from 24th to 27thOctober 2006 at Suan Bua Hotel and Resort in Chiang 5th Youth Congress 24th – 27th October 2006, Suan Bua Hotel and Resort, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 98 participants from Australia, Indonesia, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam represented at the event.

Hon. Dato’ Noh Bin Omar, Deputy Minister of Internal Security of Malaysia graced the Opening Ceremony of the 4th AYC. Mr. Tay Bian How, Director, Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme, Miss. Jennifer A Harwood, Representative from Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, US Department of State and Mr. Mat. Hussin Bin Ibrahim, Director, National Anti Drugs Agency, Penang, Malaysia, were among the guests present for the opening ceremony.

An important feature of the 4th AYC was that the youth were given the leadership in organising the congress. Besides the theme YOUth for YOUth, the plenary sessions and the workshops were organized under four subthemes, highlighting four important areas where youth participation could be obtained for drug prevention namely: Faith-The Anti Drug; Friends-The Anti Drug; Family-The Anti Drug; and Media-The Anti Drug. The above sub-themes were also discussed in detail in the concurrent peer-led workshops of which the outcome was displayed in colorful tarpaulins.

During the outward-bound expedition to the Jerejak Island, the youth participated in a number of challenging and physical activities such as rock climbing, flying foxes and jungle tracking which enhanced their self-esteem, survival, leadership and team building skills.

The Arts and the Cultural Night and the Colombo Plan Night were a unique blend of Asian Culture and the spirit of youth. These events created a colourful and creative environment where the youth learned to appreciate and admire the culture of their own countries as well the others.

The Think-a-Ton Session was the brainstorming session led by the youth leaders during which the participants projected their collective vision for the next youth congress. The youth leaders came up with Thailand as their preferred host and the theme “TEAM – Together Everyone Achieves More” for the next Youth Congress. The 4th AYC was successfully concluded marking another milestone in the history of youth initiatives in drug prevention in the Asia Pacific Region.

Nearly 150 delegates from 18 countries attended the congress. Notable, was the participation of three delegates from Afghanistan for the first time.

The opening ceremony was graced by the Guest of Honour Mr. Lim Hock San, Chairman, National Council Against Drug Abuse- Singapore, Mr. Tay Bian How, Director, Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme and Mr. Eric Tan Chong Sian, Director, Central Narcotics Bureau – Singapore. The highlights of this ceremony included a march-pass by the delegates in their colourful national costumes, a PDE gallery tour – where the invitees and delegates were takenon a tour of PDE posters and pictures displayed by the participating countries, and a rap performance titled ‘YOUths can do it’ by a youth delegate.

In addition to plenary sessions on youth empowerment and preventive drug education by PDE experts and youth leaders, the congress also included informative country presentations by the youth delegates, as well as a spectacular session on illicit drugs and their effects on the body.

The workshops conducted were a mixture of both education and entertainment. They focused on life skills development, stress management, family therapy and preventive drug edutainment. The youth were also given the opportunity to ‘think-a-ton’ and generate their own ideas for PDE in their countries.

The grand finale of the youth congress was the Art and Cultural Night, which involved cultural presentations by the delegates of participating countries and dance performances by the winners of ‘Dance Works’ an anti-drug dance competition in Singapore which uses dance as a tool to promote the anti-drug message. Thailand, Korea and Mongolia were given special tokens for their well-produced presentations of dance, music and culture. Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore, was Guest of Honour at this ceremony.

The 3rd Asian Youth Congress was a meaningful and eventful occasion with the inclusion of a PDE Symposium and experiential workshops on Preventive Drug Edutainment and Life Skills, as well as numerous enrichment courses and outdoor activities. PDE experts region-wide came together to share with youth best PDE practices and discuss initiatives for implementation. This provided an excellent opportunity for the exchange of ideas and information, through networking. Also notable was the greater opportunity provided for youth empowerment and youth leadership in conducting the congress.

Armed with knowledge on drug abuse, ideas on PDE and valuable life skills, the youth participants were empowered to work towards developing a drug-free world and achieve their aspirations, dreams and goals.

Following up on the 3rd Asian Youth Congress cum Preventive Drug Education (PDE) Symposium, the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme has updated the Asian Youth Network (AYN). This initiative is in keeping with DAP’s commitment to:

• Enhancing knowledge, perception and skills in youth with regard to drug abuse prevention;

• Enhancing networking among individuals and organisations in the Asian-Pacific region;

• Informing youth and adults about the current / future programmes in the region;

• Giving youth the opportunity to brainstorm relevant youth issues and propose ideas and solutions to drug abuse prevention and• Ensuring that countries share their effective programmes.

Youth, PDE officers, parents and concerned others can now browse through http://colombo-plan.org/dap/ayn/index.htmlto read the DAP’s quarterly e-newsletter, learn about illicit drugs and their effects, and discover what others are doing in this vibrant drug-free community. AYN is also an open forum for youth to express ideas and solutions to drug abuse prevention and promote networking and e-drug prevention among themselves.

A new attraction for the year 2005 is ‘My Youth Calendar’ highlighting an ‘anti-drug’ message. This colourful ‘youth-friendly’ calendar can now be downloaded and printed for personal use. In addition, the report of the II Asian Youth Congress has also been launched on the site. However, those who wish to obtain the report in CD format can contact the DAP.

The DAP encourages Asian Youth to join this ‘youth brigade against drugs’ which will enable them to use their zest, potential, power and ability to make a difference – and create a vibrant and drug-free world.

This was organised by the DAP in collaboration with the Narcotics Control Board Maldives with funding from the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), US Department of State. It was one of the remarkable congresses ever held in Asia with the theme “Youth at the Front Line”, and was attended by over 112 participants from nearly 20 countries in the region. Youth from all over Asia actively took part in making this congress a success.

The objectives of the 2nd Asian Youth Congress was to give concerned youth a forum where they can express their ideas and solutions relating to drug abuse prevention and expose the youth to prevention methods used in other countries, build international partnerships between NGOs and youth groups and develop action plans that youth can implement in their own countries. Youth demonstrated their personal commitment through the action plans to be implemented upon returning, within 7 days, 30 days and 6months and before the next youth congress in drug prevention.

In line with the action plans the Republic of Philippines successfully organised the 2nd Palawan Youth Congress attended by about 600 participants and in Sri Lanka, Mr. Manidu Wellala student of Rahula College Matara organised a walk on children’s day 1st October 2003 in mobilizing the youth to stand firm against drug abuse and initiating the launching of website from the youth club in drug prevention.