Did you know that the theme of this year’s International Youth Day (August 12th) is creating intergenerational solidarity? It aims to raise awareness on barriers to achieving solidarity across all generations and leveraging all generations’ strengths and knowledge. With a focus on substance use prevention and youth empowerment, UNODC Youth Initiative has also been striving to support and engage with young leaders to enhance their understanding of evidence-based prevention and bettering their communities.
In recent articles, we introduced several projects funded by Japan’s DAPC grants which impacted youth and drug use prevention in different corners of the world. Today, we would like to acknowledge the efforts and achievements of Journey from the Maldives.
Journey embarked on a project aiming to empower and equip young people, related stakeholders, and parents with the necessary skill-set for and education on drug use prevention. The multiple components of the project generated comprehensive effects. Through stakeholder group meetings, training for stakeholders, parents, and youth, as well as outreach strategies involving door-to-door information dissemination and youth camps, the project team reported not only enhanced knowledge and increased resilience to risky behaviors but also empowered youth in realizing their potential. Furthermore, Journey reflected an increase in the cohesion of the island community through positive engagement with youth, adults, parents, schools, and the community as a whole.
The evidence-based holistic approach of the project led to great results on the island of Maldives. Efforts from families, schools, workplaces, and communities are crucial for preventing drug use and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Kudos to Journey for contributing to creating a better environment for youth development!
We would like to extend sincere gratitude to DAPC for their continuous support of youth-centered prevention projects in low- and middle-income countries. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories in the future!
