Launching a Drug-Free Summer for Taiwanese Youth

Taiwan Scientologists mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with an all-out drug education and prevention campaign.  

Drug prevention volunteers in Taiwan reached thousands with factual information on drugs in honor of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

 

The International Day falls at the end of June each year—just days before Taiwan schools let out for summer vacation. Volunteers from the Church of Scientology Kaohsiung and Scientology missions in Tainan, Taipei and Taichung participated in street events and conducted lectures in schools.

Youth can be particularly vulnerable to peer pressure over summer vacation, so the volunteers’ goal was to provide as many children and teens as possible with factual information so they can make informed decisions never to begin taking drugs in the first place.

In Kaohsiung, the Church held a community open house and forum on the drug problem. Speakers included the deputy principal of a university, a social worker and the chairman of the Drug-Free World Association of Taiwan. They shared their perspective on the devastation drug abuse causes the user and his or her family. There is also the financial burden of drug-related crime and the cost of health care and rehabilitation of addicts.

Those attending the open house were taken through The Truth About Drugs materials and shown how simple it is to conduct drug education lectures by using these materials. Those wishing to provide drug education to others were given copies of The Truth About Drugs materials free of charge.

A city councilor joined the team of volunteers, handing out The Truth about Drugs booklets in Kaohsiung’s busy Shinkuchen shopping district. She praised the volunteers, describing their work as “a real help to our society.”

A city councilor … praised the volunteers, describing their work as “a real help to our society.”

Some of the volunteers visited police stations and invited police to join them in handing out copies of the booklets, which they did.

While this was going on, another team of volunteers presented drug prevention lectures in 18 Kaohsiung schools, reaching more than 11,000 students, each of whom received a copy of The Truth About Drugs ​booklet.

Some 20 volunteers from the Scientology Mission of Tainan also staged a drug prevention street event with booklet distribution. They handed out nearly 4,000 copies of The Truth About Drugs booklets and some 700 signed their pledge to live drug-free.

Taichung volunteers capped the day’s activities by handing out booklets and conducting drug education lectures in 10 local schools.

Scientologists on six continents work in their communities throughout the year to empower others with the truth about drugs. The Church and its members are dedicated to eradicating drug abuse through education.