ExCEL stands for: Express, Connect, Educate, Lead

This programme targets young people from Ethnic Minority backgrounds and aims to engender a culture of peer support and positive messaging for at risk young people in deprived districts around Hong Kong.  Participants develop the skills and knowledge needed to create culturally appropriate drug awareness information and decide how best to promote that to their peers.

Participants learn life skills including peer support, resistance strategies and increase their awareness around risks and effects of common drugs. Outside trainers share knowledge and technical skills around developing campaigns and effective social media or other messaging. Participants then put these together to develop sustainable messages for their peers that are positive, supportive and aim to reduce drug use and its associated risks. The campaigns and resources developed are promoted in the schools and the whole school community will benefit from them. Peer supporters were recruited from the first programme and work with participants from future cohorts on this programme. Many of the participants also benefit from ExCEL’s mentorship component.

You can see some of the resources that participants developed: 

• a song named “Enough” and a music video to share messages of  positive peer influence
• stress balls to help release tension
• stickers of healthier ways to cope with stress
• an exhibition and booklet titled “All About Alcohol”, displaying risks associated with alcohol and harm reduction strategies.