Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Skills to put you on top
By Esther Williams
“The youth of today want instant results. In reality however, there are no instant solutions to any problem. Life skills are what we need to be able to resist peer pressure, to make right decisions at the right time, to be responsible and cope with stress that each day brings,” stressed, director, Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme (DAP), Mr. Tay Bian How.

Talking about their recently released book Life Skills for Youth (a drug abuse prevention training manual), he reiterated that youth need a set of skills in order to be able to reject negative social pressures. To this end, the book provides activities to enhance self-esteem, communication, decision-making, assertion and coping skills.

Littered with stories, incidents, parables and catchy phrases, the manual is arranged in an attractive format. The activity sheets contain exercises in simulation, role-play, experiential learning, brainstorming and group discussions, followed by an evaluation process.

Based on the rationale that youth are the future leaders of any country, the skills promoted in the manual are designed to help them effectively cope with the numerous challenges in order to succeed in this complex and modern world. Developed through a participatory process involving youth leaders, psychologists and experienced counsellors, the manual would support trainers, teachers and youth workers in both community and school settings, to equip youth with a set of life skills and sound values.

“Participants will learn through practice and will see how they can apply the skills in real life situations,” Mr. How stresses. The friendly, colourful guide or training manual is now available in all member countries – in governments and NGOs and is also on the web. The modules introduced therein have been effectively implemented and integrated into various demand reduction activities by member countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Focus on drugs:
Youth use drugs for a number of reasons – as a way of coping with failure and anxiety, as a means of increasing popularity, social status or self-esteem. Moreover, they are more susceptive to social influences of advertising, peers, parents and other role models. Statistics show that 50% of drug abusers worldwide took to drugs owing to peer pressure, with curiosity and thrill-seeking coming in close. The manual is certainly timely as it addresses this vital issue.

Unfortunately, social skills are not taught in the majority of schools. Mr. How says, “I think that drug education should be part of the school curriculum, which would include interpersonal and social competency skills that are essential for any person.” Through their recent endeavours, schools in Malaysia, Hanoi, Vietnam, Philippines and Thailand have integrated these life skills into their regular school curriculum. More importantly, the skills they promote can be applied to any issue – suicide prevention, teenage pregnancy, AIDS prevention, etc.

Local situation:
There are enough seizures to show that a fair amount of drugs are available in Sri Lanka, which is considered a transit country for drug trafficking. It is thus, a serious problem.

Sri Lankan youth, Mr. How stresses, have to be armed with a whole array of life skills to be able to reject all types of drugs. Distributors are increasingly targeting the young – in clubs. Moreover, there are reports that Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS) such as ‘Ecstasy’ are coming in. “Our youth need to know that long-term use of ATS can cause psychosis, which is irreversible.”

Having received special training in life skills in Australia, Mr. Tay Bian How was in charge of the Drug Education Programme in Malaysia, prior to joining the Colombo Plan as director of the Drug Advisory programme four years ago. Beginning November 14, Tay Bian How will deal with each of the life-skills in our new series Skills for life

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