DRUGS ARE ADDICTIVE. ESCAPING IS HARD. DON'T START.

DRUGS ARE ADDICTIVE.
ESCAPING IS HARD.
DON’T START.

Empowering Youths: Say No to Drugs as Escape from Addiction is Hard

Imagine this: 200 people in lockdown, with only a small number able to escape.

1. This was all part of the first-ever anti-drug themed “The Escape Game” launched by Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr Amrin Amin, at the annual Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign (ADAC) today. ADAC is jointly organised by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and the National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA), to commemorate the World Drug Day[1].

2. The Escape Game is made up of four zones - “The Contact”, “The Addiction”, “The Struggle” and “The Realisation” – which mimic the phases that a drug addict goes through in his/her attempt to escape addiction. The zones are designed to be challenging, illustrating the true reality of overcoming addiction.

3. In his speech[2], Parliamentary Secretary Amrin called on youths and families to support the anti-drug cause. He later elaborated, “Over 2000 participants have signed up for the event. We hope that this experience of a challenging anti-drug themed escape game will invoke thought about the difficulty of escaping from drugs once hooked. We are also happy that this is the 6^th year that Singapore Polytechnic students have assisted us to organise this large-scale national-level campaign. Their peer-targeted focus gives us fresh perspective to the drug issue. Youths and families can use this experience to kickstart the conversation within their homes, school community and workplace and spread the anti-drug message to their friends and families.”

4. There are a slew of activities organised to commemorate the World Drug Day. Danceworks!, an anti-drug dance competition is one of the key highlights. Into its 18^th year, Danceworks! will see 21 teams battle it out for the title championship and the newly-introduced “Most Supported” team category.

5.  Empowering Stakeholders: Launch of Information Brochure for Parents and NS Commanders 

6. As part of the recommendations of the Task Force on Youths and Drugs (TFYD), Parliamentary Secretary Amrin also launched two new anti-drug resources for parents and NS Commanders. Both groups had been earlier identified by the Task Force as key influencers to steer youths and young adults away from drugs.

7. Deputy Director of CNB, Mr Winston Wong, said “The drug issue is multi-faceted and requires the collaboration of the community to address the problem. We are grateful for the support from the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in their outreach to national servicemen. The anti-drug brochure for parents, available online, includes practical tips and advice for parents to guide their children against peer influence and stress. These new resources, which are only possible with the strong support of our TFYD partners, provide a good opportunity to remind our young adults about the importance of staying drug-free.”

8. Make a stand. Support the anti-drug movement and spread the message to your friends and families. Please refer to the attached factsheet for more information. You can also download the toolkits at the CNB website[3].

Organised by:

NATIONAL COUNCIL AGAINST DRUG ABUSE
CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
25 JUNE 2016

Parliamentary Secretary Mr Amrin Amin giving a speech at the launch of the Anti-Drug Escape Game at the Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign.Photo credit: Lee Zhen Huan from Home Team News.

Parl Sec Mr Amrin Amin trying out the Anti-Drug Escape Game along with Deputy Director CNB Mr Winston Wong, Chairman NCADA Mr Victor Lye and students from Singapore Polytechnic. Photo credit: Lee Zhen Huan from Home Team News.

Parl Sec Mr Amrin Amin and his team upon successfully completing the Anti-Drug Escape Game. Photo credit: Lee Zhen Huan from Home Team News.

Annex A

Factsheet on Anti-Drug Brochure for Parents

The anti-drug brochure for parents is a handy guide for parents to steer their children away from drugs. Curated specially for parents, the brochure provides useful parenting tips to initiate conversations about preventive drug education with their children, tell-tale signs of drug abuse, and drug trends parents should take note of. This will help parents talk to and guide their children in leading drug-free lifestyles. It will be made available to parents through schools and community organisations from July 2016 onwards. Download the parent brochure [PDF, 1.23 MB]

Anti-Drug Brochure for Parents

Annex B

Factsheet on NS Commander Toolkit

The NS Commander toolkit contains in-depth information on the larger picture behind the problem of drug abuse. This includes information on the legislation and rehabilitation pathways for young abusers, and tips for NS Commanders on guiding their young charges. It also features case studies about drug use, which take reference from real-life examples. The toolkit is available for download from CNB’s education resources page. Soft copies of the toolkit will also be made available to all NS Commanders across the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), SPF and SCDF.

NS Commander Toolkit

[1] The World Drug Day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1987 and is a reminder of the goals that member states agreed to, in creating an international society free of drug abuse. Find out more at https://www.unodc.org/drugs/june-26/.

[2] The speech can be found at here.

[3] The parent brochure can be found here [PDF, 1.23 MB], while the NS Commander toolkit can be found here [PDF, 2.2 MB].