International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR)

STRENGTHENING YOUTH CAPACITY FOR REDUCTION of NARCOTICS USE in KACHIN STATE, Myanmar

Consultancy: Kim Johnson, Executive Director of ICUDDR
Principal Investigator: Asst.Prof.Dr.Prapapun Chucharoen, Director of Regional Collaboration Center of Asia-Pacific of ICUDDR, Mahidol University, Thailand

October 12th

Office of Asia-Pacific of ICUDDR, Mahidol University, Thailand is excited to announce that it was recently awarded a grant to support a “Regional Workshop on Mental Wellness for Reduction of Narcotics Use Strengthening Youth Capacity” for the period of October 1, 2020 – March 31, 2022.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Rangoon awarded this cooperative agreement to implement a Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Regional Workshop on Mental Wellness for Reduction of Narcotics Use in Kachin State, Myanmar. The YSEALI is the U.S. government’s signature initiative to engage emerging leaders in Southeast Asia. The program aims to create a network of young Southeast Asian leaders who work across national borders to solve common problems. Through a variety of programs and engagements, YSEALI seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture a community of leaders who work across borders to solve shared issues. For more information about the grant program see: https://www2.fundsforngos.org/latest-funds-for-ngos/yseali-regional-workshop-on-mental-wellness-for-reduction-of-narcotics-use/

The Strengthening Youth and Community Drug Demand Reduction workshop is intended to be an interactive face to face training to be held in October 2021. The goal of the program is to reduce drug use, promote mental wellness and to train adolescents and young adults in substance use prevention skills. Sixty participants will attend the face to face training and then provide a virtual training for youth in their country to expand the knowledge and awareness. To learn more about the YSEALI program see: https://asean.usmission.gov/yseali/ .

ICUDDR’s main office in the United States worked with the Asia Pacific regional coordinating office in Thailand to secure the grant and will provide consultation and support during the grant process. This type of partnership across countries and regions is one of the goals of ICUDDR. If you are in the ASEAN region and have students that you think might be good candidates, please contact Prof. Prapapun about the application process. Applications for participants will become available early in 2021. If there are opportunities for funding in your country or region that you think partnership with ICUDDR might help you secure, please contact Kim. If it is related to ICUDDR’s core mission, we are happy to partner with our members and regional coordinating centers! This is an exciting first for ICUDDR – a funding award for a regional coordinating center!

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The International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR) supports the rapid improvement in competencies and skills among current and future generations of addiction professionals to meet the increasing demand for prevention, treatment and public health services. Toward this end, the ICUDDR facilitates networking among universities to promote high quality education and training in the field of addiction prevention, treatment and public health interventions. It also pursues related applied addictions research, outreach and advocacy.

ICUDDR is funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). INL works to keep Americans safe at home by countering international crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad. INL helps countries deliver justice and fairness by strengthening their police, courts, and corrections systems. These efforts reduce the amount of crime and illegal drugs reaching U.S. shores.