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The first cohort of Leadership Institute on Narcotics (L.I.O.N.) has completed successfully, with 100 mentees officially appointed to be anti-drug leaders. 20 graduates were awarded Gold, Silver, Bronze and Merit Awards with scholarships according to their performance, attitude and execution capability etc. Led by Assistant Commissioner (Crime) Chung Wing-man, ten of the Gold and Silver Awardees went to Singapore for interflow between January 25 and 29.
Interflow with Singapore officers
The ten mentees were invited to visit the Home Team Gallery run by Home Team Academy of Singapore, a museum that introduces different home team departments of Singapore, to understand their roles, history and development. Officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) of Singapore shared their education and publicity efforts against drug with the mentees, who actively discussed and exchanged anti-drug information with the youth advocates from the Anti-Drug Abuse Advocacy Network of Singapore.
Guided tour
A local ex-drug addict acted as a tour guide to lead the mentees for a walking tour around the Chinatown to brief on the history of Singapore. The docent also shared with the mentees his past as a gangster and rehabilitation process. The mentees were greatly inspired and had a deep understanding of the severe impact of drugs on different societies.
Meeting with Singapore officials
The mentees were invited by CNB of Singapore to attend an appreciation lunch hosted by the Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development of Singapore, Associate Professor Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim. More than 100 passionate anti-drug advocates in Singapore attended the lunch. As youth anti-drug leaders of Hong Kong, the mentees shared and presented their award-winning anti-drug school campaigns, their inspiration and the factors behind the high popularity of the campaigns. They also shared their gains from L.I.O.N., including their personal growth and leadership enhancement. The Minister of State of Singapore found the anti-drug campaigns creative, deserving good reference for application in Singapore. The mentees also grasped the opportunity to exchange anti-drug ideas with the advocates for broadening their horizon.
Conclusion
The mentees gained much from the visit as they could demonstrate their youth power and creativity in promoting drug-free culture as young leaders at an international level. The second cohort of L.I.O.N. has just started. L.I.O.N. will keep making proactive efforts to nurture new mentees into anti-drug leaders to promote drug-free culture locally and globally.
