Alcohol, Drugs & Substance used Project

Partnership Background and Rationale

Parties

This grant agreement outlines a shared understanding between Tonga National Youth Congress (TNYC)  (“Grant Recipient”) and the Tonga Health Promotion Foundation (“TongaHealth”) for work that will be carried out from September 2020 – March 2021          .

Tonga National Youth Congress (TNYC) is a nongovernmental organization established in 1991 as an arm of the Government to work specifically on youth development activities focusing on youth unemployment, school dropout, environment conservation and stewardship, youth social behaviors, alcohol , tobacco and substance abuse, crime and delinquency, community social business enterprise and certification for Tonga.

TongaHealth, as secretariat to the National Non-Communicable Disease Committee, is the agency responsible for supporting co-ordination and reporting of non-communicable disease prevention and control in Tonga, as well as commissioning research for statistics to support, monitor and evaluate implementation of the National NCD Strategy.          

Background

Tonga National Youth Congress for the last few years have work diligently to address the issues and consequences of Youth over indulgent on Alcohol Consumption and the unwise decision to takes drugs and other substances as a way of escaping life challenges that they may feel is unsurmountable and cannot be faced on a daily basis.

TNYC in the past have done similar project from Tonga Health working in different level with the Ministry of Police, Salvation Army, and other organization on these. The result from this works shows that during project implementation there was a mark decline on death toll in accident related to Alcohol Consumption, a decrease percentage on the number in crimes committed related to violence from intoxication.  When the project finished the problem increase again from this observation a few key facts arise to be considered.  The drugs and substance misused problem increase and becoming a national concern, that youth status changes all the time, a new youth generation comes up and is not yet prepared or aware of the implication of alcohol, drugs and substance misused in their life.

With a few youth group consultations in villages and school dialogue TNYC conclude that these challenges cannot be address in isolation but comprehensively to youth in any level of the society. This project will attempt to build youth confident in themselves to be able to make the right decision and take responsibility for their action in relation to Alcohol Consumptions, Drugs and other substances used.  TNYC proposed to implement these activities in School and the Communities. A Community based Peer Education Program with Schools and village youth group, Communities, Primary School and Remote Area Awareness Program, Schools Lifestyle Capacity Building Camping, Seasonal Worker Training Program.

Why is addressing this problem important?

  • Alcohol, Drugs and Substance Abuse and misused has a major impact on individuals, families, communities. The effects of substances abuse are cumulative, significantly contributing to costly social, physical, mental, and public health problems.

What are the underlying issues that cause the problem?

  • Basic Need of Families is not met, food, clothes, shelters, these have created an unsafe and abusive environment that cause youth to seek other way to escape this, through using alcohol, drugs, and other substances.
  • Peer pressure from peer groups is a significant factor that cause youth to fall in with the norm instead of being different.  Other’s may try to find their identity it is the years of trying new experience.
  • Low Self Esteem – Youth who grow up in an environment that’s negative and don’t have compliment or word of encouragement or being praised for what they have done or simply for being a human being can be quite debilitating on one mentality.  The individual grew up not trusting its own judgement, decision, and very low expectation this can cause turning to other measure to make feel good in themselves. Alcohol, Drugs, and other substance can provide that quick fix.
  • Unhealthy Lifestyle can cause physical sickness and pain to the body which lead to taking Alcohol, drugs, and other Substance.

How is this program going to try and address these underlying issues?

  • The proposed activities have a counselling component, a mentoring and coaching aspect, a sharing and show casing of best and successful life stories of changes as well as promoting other activities in the communities and schools that youth can participate and socialize in an environment that is safe and supportive that they may grow in mind and self-confidence.

The Purpose of our Partnership

The purpose of this agreement is to deliver actions, which contribute to achieving the goals of the Tonga National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2015-2020 (National NCD Strategy). 

Specifically, this agreement relates to the following components of the National NCD.

 Strategy 2.3: Reduce alcohol related harm

Strategy 2.4 : Reduce Tobacco related harm

Gender Equity and Social Inclusion

  • The Project activity is inclusive of women, people living with disability, children, and communities in very remote area.