KELY Support Group 
Newsletter 2011 Jan
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In this issue:
- KELY Launches Innovative Drug Free Festival in Hong Kong
- Over HK$60,000 raised from The Cove Charity Gala Premiere
- Voices of Our Youth
- Our Programmes & Services
- Addressing Issues Their Way
- Providing a Sense of Hope to Vulnerable Youths
- Helping Young People See the Possibilities
- More Young People Seeking Help
- Daring Young People to Dream
KELY Launches Innovative Drug Free Festival in Hong Kong
KELY will be hosting its very first Keeping IT REAL (Refuse, Explain, Avoid and Leave) festival in Hong Kong on Saturday, 15th of January, 2011. The programme is a culturally grounded drug prevention curriculum that originated from the United States and has proven to be “effective for reducing drug use and establishing drug-free attitudes and beliefs”.
The kiR programme has been taught to over 7,000 American students on HOW to say "no" to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs without losing friendships. Using a positive approach, the kiR enhances life skills such as decision-making, communication and drug-resistant strategies as well as focuses on building positive relationships with young people (to learn more about the model, visit: http://keepinitreal.asu.edu/).
For the past 1.5 years, Beat Drugs Fund has supported KELY’s version of“kiR” which has touched the lives of over 600 youths across the city. Focusing on Chinese, English-speaking and Ethnic Minority students, the programme has included the setting up of a youth committee, the implementation of drug education workshops, film-making and the development of an interactive game site.
Entirely youth inspired and youth led, this fun and exciting festival will include various stage performances, the display of artwork from youths as well as the launching of the game site. Over 500 youths are expected to attend and impress you – so come join us and don’t miss out!
Date: Saturday 15th January 2011
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Venue: Sham Shui Po Dragon Centre, 37K Yen Chow St, Kowloon
Please RSVP by emailing deniseyeung@kely.org by 10th January 2011.
Over HK$60,000 raised from The Cove Charity Gala Premiere
The Cove Charity Gala Premiere took place on 12th November 2010 at Broadway The ONE Cinema. Around 500 of you joined us on the night, raising over HK$60,000 for our youth development services such as our anti-drug education and suicide prevention efforts. Thank you so much for all your support!
Special thanks to the following sponsors who made The Cove Charity Gala Premiere possible.
Kingmart Advertising Co.
Broadway THE ONE Cinema
Honorary Patron Anne Marden
Tuttimelon
Giftby
Ecovision
Voices of Our Youth
By David*
I had no regard for anyone in my life by the time I was 18. I started smoking pot at 13, did k [ketamine] at 15 and then coke at 17. The upper got me wired and feeling so euphoric that I wanted it to be permanent. Nothing seemed impossible anymore. I was up at all hours, doing what I wanted and seeing who I wanted. The more I did it, the more I wanted it, but also the harder I fell. This, in turn, made me want more. Off of it, I was unmotivated, gloomy, angry, and entirely disgusted with the way I had become. Then I became disappointed and hateful of myself because I couldn’t stop.
It all felt like it was worth it, but in retrospect none of it was. The things I said, and did to people because I felt ‘invincible’ were untrue and downright disrespectful. I said things I never should have to my family – all lies. I pushed friends away because they grew tired of my erratic behavior. They were worried and wanted me to stop, but I didn’t want to so I cut them out. I’ve never regretted anything more than doing coke and losing the people I loved as a result.
I overdosed once. I blacked out and woke up in a hospital not knowing what happened, where I was and why I felt so terrible. I figured it out and realized that that was the last straw as I had come too close to losing my life and hurting those I love – the ones who I didn’t push away. If I was gone, I would never have been able to make up for it.
I’m glad I came to my senses, because after 7 years of uselessness, wasting another year of my life was something I wasn’t prepared to do.
I’ve also saved SO MUCH CASH!!! HA!
*David is a local Chinese youth from a low income background who wanted to share his experience and prevent others from doing drugs – his real name has been withheld.
‘Voices of Our Youth’ is a creative space which allows youth to express themselves without being judged or identified. Too often, our society has neglected our youth’s perspective by speaking on their behalf. Through this space, KELY hopes to provide a platform for young people and to allow the public to understand what they are really thinking.
Our Programmes & Services
According to the Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong, the cases of suicide amongst young people aged 10 to 19 increased dramatically by 43% from 2005 to 2009. Statistics from the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention found that there were 84 cases of youth suicides from 2009.
Although there is an urgent need to address this issue, there are currently very few platforms for youths to find adequate information and support. In response to this, KELY has teamed up with the American Club of Hong Kong, Bamboo Difference and DECA (a youth group from the South Island School), to enhance its current helpline service, as well as establish an activity hub to hold discussion groups for English-speaking youths.
With DECA taking the lead, the project has been developed using an inclusive and bottom’s-up process, whereby young people have been involved in the outreach and marketing, room design and fundraising.
Applying KELY’s peer support, non-judgmental and confidential methodology, the discussion group will be known as ‘Talk2Me’, where young people can share in confidence and speak openly about their issues. Under the professional guidance of Dr Justin Grayer from Therapy Associates, this group will meet regularly in the newly established hub and learn to find positive alternatives to their issues.
The first ‘Talk2Me’ discussion group will take place in mid Jan. It will focus on how to deal with issues of stress, emotions and self-esteem effectively. If you are interested in joining this group, please contact Jess at jesscheung@kely.org.
Providing a Sense of Hope to Vulnerable Youths
This past summer, a sixteen year-old student wanted to commit suicide after a row with her classmates. A teen couple, both fourteen years old, committed suicide possibly because of love problems. Three university students committed suicide in the space of just over a fortnight. These news, though shocking, reflect the rise in youth suicides despite a fall in the overall number of suicides in Hong Kong.
Thanks to the support of the ACCA Charitable Foundation, KELY is implementing a youth suicide prevention project called “There’s Always Tomorrow” which aims at building the capacity of the Wong Tai Sin community by focusing on 3 areas: public education and awareness, prevention, as well as intervention and support. We will provide suicide prevention training to students, teachers and school social workers, and help them to set up their youth suicide prevention strategies for their schools. We are grateful for Dr. Adrian Tong’s support in this aspect.
Students will also explore their emotions and their take on the meaning of life through creative imagery. Adapted from the very successful PostSecret project in the United States which has touched the lives of over millions of Americans, students will be encouraged to reveal a secret by creating anonymous postcards. The secrets can express many emotions such as pain, hope, optimism and humour. Secrets will be compiled together and published into a book.
By allowing youth to see their fellow peers’ secrets, this project aims to decrease feelings of loneliness and increase awareness of the suicide prevention services available, as well as increase the resilience of youth and promote a mindset that things will always work out in the end.
KELY will be one of several beneficiaries at the ACCA Charity Fun Day. Please join in on the fun and support our work.
Date: Sunday 16th January 2011
Venue: Chater Road Pedestrian Zone Central
Time: 10:30am – 4:30pm
It will be a great day out and we look forward to seeing you there!
Helping Young People See the Possibilities
For the first time, KELY with the generous support of the Burberry Foundation implemented its mentorship programme for youths at risk.
The first retreat between mentors and mentees took place on 20th November at Lee Yuen Mun Youth Camp and Village. There were 60 Mentees from four secondary schools and 15 mentors from universities and businesses.
With the ratio of mentor and mentees being 1:4, they were able to build a close-knitted and positive relationship though games, BBQ and discussions. Prior to the retreat, some mentors had a misconception that the majority of youths had no focus in their life, but now they know that many of them are concerned about their future as the youth contributed meaningful discussions regarding their goals, aspirations and dreams.
Continuing on, there will be 10 sessions of circus trainings with mentors and mentees. It provides a great opportunity for youth to interact and learn from the mentors, thereby increasing their confidence and improving their communication skills. Students will also share what they’ve learnt with fellow peers in future exhibitions at their schools.
Thank you once again to the Burberry Foundation for its continuous support!
More Young People Seeking Help
Due to the number of students who committed suicide this past summer, we have increased our promotional efforts on helpline service since the start of new school year. There has been a 33% increase of phone calls received from September to November. Most of the cases were related to peer pressure and anxiety regarding job search after graduation. As time goes on, we hope the helpline will become a more familiar service to society so that more youth will turn to KELY when they need to unload their emotional stress.
Daring Young People to Dream
The “Dare to Dream Academy for the Performing Arts” is a programme aimed at increasing young people’s understanding of themselves in order to think outside the box and challenge their abilities to transform their dreams into reality.
Through 2 self-awareness and goal setting workshops, more than 120 young people from 4 schools will develop a deeper understanding of themselves and learn to work with diverse individuals such as other peers, local artists, and artisans.
As part of the programme, young people were asked to take part in a series of focus groups. From these sessions, issues such as drugs, cyber bullying, compensated dating and uncertainties related to the new education system (i.e. the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination requirements and perceived difficulties in applying for university placements), were hot topics which were frequently discussed.
One of the female students shared her real-life story about compensated dating where strangers would randomly add her on msn and ask her to provide a sexual service. Fortunately, she rejected their many requests and cautioned the other group members to be very careful of these strangers.
At the end of the programme, the young participants from the 4 different schools will organize a grand performance. This will definitely be a major challenge for these youths but they are ready to show the world what they are made of!
Thank you to the Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation for supporting this meaningful programme.
