Youth Efforts to Face Drug Issues in Beqaa

Youth Efforts to Face Drug Issues in Beqaa

A summer camp, in the Beqaa area, in Lebanon has led young participants to make a project on drug problems in their local communities. The youth has expressed their excitement over the project and has found it very helpful in daily life.

HadiaGhadban, Program Coordinator, Lebanon

22. March 2012

The project started last summer after a youth summer camp was organized in Baqaa in cooperation with the Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth “ULDY” and the organisation Masar. The camp was in the frame of ActionAid Denmark’s program in Lebanon and 60 young people participated.

 

As a part of ActionAid’s work on civic engagement the camp aimed at gathering young people in Lebanon to help transform a public garden and football playground in the area.The camp activities included several discussion sessions on citizenship practices and youth participation in the public life, the sectarian system in Lebanon and its implications on youth, and drug abuse among youth.  

 

Following the session on drugs,several young people wanted to shed further light on the topic as it directly affects their lives. With the help of an expert they prepared a reader friendly leaflet on drugs including information on different types of drugs, phases of addiction to drugs, economic and social implications of drug use, health implications on the drug addict, and how to seek help for recovery. A total number of 1000 leaflets were distributed in the streets with the cooperation of the above organizations and the municipality.

 

The project also included an awareness day, prepared by Masar, entitled “Aware Young People”. The awareness day took place in RasBaalback and started with an interactive presentationon the definition of addiction, targeting 75 youthaged 14- 19 from the scouts and schools. In addition the youth split into 7 groups for a rally that took place across the whole village. Informative questions were asked about addiction, which lead to the involvementof the whole village and spread awareness among inhabitants.

 

Youth participants and the organizers evaluated the project. The youth expressed their excitement, as the event was very informative and entertaining, providing important information that is helpful in daily life and the organizers said it created further interaction between inhabitants and the municipal council.