On 21 September 2016, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the second meeting of the Thai Youth Initiative against Drugs 2016 Project Committee. At the meeting, five finalist teams, selected from a video clip contest entitled “Find New Ways to Stay Drug Free.”, were invited to present their video clips and had an interview with the Committee.

          The winning team of this year is “Plc.Sukhumvit” from Panyapiwat Learning Center-Sukhumvit, Bangkok, and the first runner up team is “NEW FOLDER” from Khon Kaen Wittayayon School, Khon Kaen province. Both teams will travel to Singapore from 29 September to 1 October to learn more about drug prevention policy and programs implemented in a foreign country, with focus given to the role of youth, as well as international cooperation on drug matters.

          The Thai Youth Initiative against Drugs Project is an inter-agency project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), the Ministry of Education, the Asia -Pacific Non-Government Organization on Drug and Substance Abuse Prevention (ASPAC-NGO) and True Visions. It aims to promote youth empowerment and raise awareness on how the younger generation can contribute to drug prevention, in line with the Youth Initiative by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Project was initiated in 2012 and has been carried out for five consecutive years. Thai youths nationwide were encouraged to team up and participate in a discussion through social media on issues related to current drug situations and drug demand reduction, in particular early prevention. This year’s project invited Thai youths to participate in a short video clip contest entitled “Find New Ways to Stay Drug Free”. Five teams were shortlisted from a total of 24 teams nationwide.

          For more information about the Thai Youth Initiative against Drugs 2016 Project, please visit: www.facebook.com/ThaiYouth