SHILLONG, MAY 22: The Drug Reduction, Elimination & Action Mission (DREAM), in collaboration with Bosco Integrated Development Society (BIDS), has intensified its peer-led approach to drug abuse prevention by engaging student interns as frontline awareness champions.
A series of anti-drug awareness programmes was conducted across Police Bazar and Iew Mawlong, culminating in Thursday’s event at Nongmensong with the participation of 33 student interns from William Carey University.
DREAM said it is now “scaling up this student internship initiative at full pace, positioning it as a cornerstone effort to mobilise youth as peer-led champions in the fight against drug abuse.” Unlike conventional lecture-based drives, the programme placed interns at the centre of outreach through skits, singing, and dance performances designed to connect with young audiences. The highlight was a thematic skit built around the DREAM Calendar, which features a QR code linking to a comprehensive list of rehabilitation centres and contact details.
“By integrating this into the performance, the interns were able to not only raise awareness but also equip the audience with practical tools to seek help when needed,” DREAM stated.
The mission said the approach plays a crucial role in “empowering individuals and families to access support services, reducing stigma associated with addiction and rehabilitation, and promoting a message that help is available and recovery is possible.” Under the internship model, students are “equipped to conduct awareness campaigns in their schools, colleges and communities, encouraged to act as peer counsellors within their social circles, and trained to foster open dialogue and early intervention among youth.”
The initiative also aims to build “self-confidence, leadership qualities, communication skills, and a stronger sense of purpose through active community engagement and participation.” “DREAM believes that peer influence plays a crucial role in shaping behaviour, especially among young people,” the mission said. “By enabling students to lead awareness efforts themselves, the programme creates a more impactful and sustainable model of prevention, where messages are shared in a language and format that resonates deeply with the youth.”
DREAM added it is set to expand the initiative by onboarding more student interns in the coming months, “thereby creating a growing network — an ‘army of Anti-Drug Ambassadors’ — who will continue to influence, inspire, and act as a positive force within society.”
“The success of today’s programme highlights the effectiveness of this participatory and community-driven approach, marking a shift from traditional awareness methods to a more interactive, youth-led movement against drug abuse,” it said.
By Our Reporter
