Fight for life without drugs

Kalegium has been working with  the Youth against Drugs project in cooperation with WFAD  and support from Forum Syd since 2018. Working mostly with teenage groups, training Peer to Peer volunteers, they hold prevention meetings with teenagers who have already had experience with alcohol or drugs. They also pay special attention to gender aspects of prevention, aiming to increase girls’ self-confidence and teach them how to make responsible decisions regarding their physical and psychological health.

Kalegium has long and actively cooperated with government agencies in preventing drug addiction and other risks among adolescents and young people in the Brest region. In 2018 their project was officially supported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus. This opened the doors to government agencies in other regions of the country and allowed them to take advantage of their extensive experience in prevention work.

Last year they decided to conduct a photo and motivational quote contest together with Ministry of Internal Affairs officials. It took place on Instagram with the hashtag #This_Is_Very_Important. Elena Mytko, one of the coordinators of the competition, says that: "New partners accepted Kalegium’s idea with great enthusiasm. This contest allowed us adults, to enter the world of young people, to find out what they are interested in, what they have "inside" and how they see the world around them. Their work  clearly showed that they are interested in such topics as love, friendship, ecology, a healthy lifestyle, the future of their country. We were also happy to learn that our contestants were supported by their friends, families and teachers, thus expanding the audience that became involved in this activity.”

Ivan Chechun, one of the winners, mentioned that: "In my large family, everyone adheres to a healthy lifestyle. They supported my desire to participate in the contest. And they were very happy that I became one of the winners. It's important for me that others saw my idea and liked it. I was glad that there were prizes in this contest. The prize, material encouragement, makes me closer to adults and more responsible".

Ksenia Mozharovskaya, one of the winners, highlights that: "I took part in the contest because I wanted to cheer up those who are sad, show them that life is beautiful! I encourage all young people in difficult situations to find their inner strength and not to be afraid to ask for support!”

By strengthening the young people in Belarus we can change the attitudes towards human rights and democracy in the society for the next generation of leaders.