Luxi Cai, a year two student of International Business and Management at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), discussed China's drug control at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Youth Forum 2023, as one of the two representatives for China.
The Youth Forum is an annual event organised by the UNODC Youth Initiative. Its main objective is to gather young people active in the field of drug use prevention, health promotion and youth empowerment from around the world. Held in Vienna, Austria, it invited 34 high school and university students from 28 countries and regions to attend.
The Youth Statement 2023 writes: “Youth are the present, not just the future. Breaking the cycle of substance use tomorrow requires youth engagement in prevention today.”
“I was quite excited when I learned that I had been shortlisted. I have participated in many extracurricular activities including the Model United Nations, but I didn’t expect to be able to go to the real United Nations one day.”
Having been active in extracurricular activities since her middle school years, Luxi was attracted by the variety of activities at UNNC, including joining the Campus Ambassadors, vis-à-vis and the Passing Hope Project, through which she practiced her communication and organisational skills.
The most impressive event was the "Summer Seeding Programme" last year, where she went to Gaotang School together with international students for volunteer teaching. With excellent English, she let the children experience the charm of international education and learn about cultural differences. It was this experience that made her look forward to stepping onto a bigger stage and bringing her public welfare concept to more people through practice.
In July last year, the China National Narcotics Control Commission began this nationwide campaign to select candidates for the UNODC Youth Forum. Luxi was chosen to be one of Zhejiang’s candidates for her passion for public welfare and profound knowledge on drug control, and finally stood out among 28 candidates across the nation.
To prepare for the selection, she went to the drug control detachment to learn professional knowledge, she interviewed people working in drug control to get an in-depth understanding of the current situation in the country. During this period, she also witnessed the harm that can be caused by drugs to people’s wellbeing.
"Drug control requires the efforts of the many staff working for it, as well as the contribution of everyone," said Luxi. If possible, she hopes to become a drug control volunteer in the future, contributing more of her ideas and strength to drug prevention and control.
Published on 24 March 2023