OCEANIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Christus Vivit: the strength of young people to combat addictions

Friday, 13 September 2019

AP

Port Moresby (Agenzia Fides) - "Young people and drug abuse": this is the topic of the "Chat Room" radio in-depth program released by Tribe 92FM, a radio station dedicated and focused on young people in Papua New Guinea. The youth in the country continue to address issues that are crucial to their daily lives. Among these, debating on the issue of the spread and prevention of drug addiction among young people in society, a group of students of the De La Salle Institute worked on the fact that young people, if encouraged and pushed in the right direction, manage to avoid or abandon the abuse of drugs. "Young people are the 'now' of today's world," said one of the participants who, reflecting on Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit dedicated to young people, added that "it is necessary to offer assistance and guidance to young people to help them become better individuals and leaders".
The debate highlighted the Pope's speech to young people, the current statistics on drug abuse in the country, the social and psychological impact, the factors that contribute to drug abuse and their effects on society. According to reported statistics, three out of five young people in Papua New Guinea end up falling into drug and alcohol addiction. The triggering factors are physical, psychological and social: a sense of inadequacy, unemployment, urbanization. "We need greater awareness, especially among young people. Only by understanding the problem and its devastating effects can young people abstain from drugs", said another of the boys who intervened.
At the end of the program, the young students of the De La Salle Institute turned to listeners, inviting them to listen, to surround themselves with positive people and avoid harmful relationships. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 13/9/2019)


Share: