M. Nazri MT, Sulastri S, Haslina H, Maizurah O, Zyoud SH.

National Poison Centre (NPC), Universiti Sains Malaysia

Introduction: In 2002, it was estimated that approximately 59,243 to 77,196 youths in Malaysia were categorized as substance abusers. The National Anti-Drug Agency recorded the involvement of youth as substance abusers as early as 13 years of age. Realizing the need to educate youths on the dangers of these substances, the National Poison Centre (NPC) conducted a number of Anti-Drug Education and Prevention Programs (PPDa) in schools using a new technique called Visualisation in Participatory Program (VIPP). This technique is aimed to enhance learning and effectively sensitize and engage youths to understand the dangers of substances of abuse (SOA). Objective: The objective of this paper is to share the VIPP experience and how it has enhanced learning through greater participation, interaction, and fun. Methods: On a yearly basis, the NPC is invited to provide about 30 PPDa to primary and secondary schools in the Penang and Kedah states. NPC designs its own PPDa module incorporating VIPP facilitation tools. Training-of-Trainers workshops are conducted for students in schools using the VIPP module. “World café” is among the tools popularly used to encourage student’s participation through rotating discussion. Other tools include “buzz group” to induce quick and organized discussion, “lifeboat” to energize and divide student into groups, and many others. At the conclusion of the workshops, quick evaluation on the percentage of SOA understanding and ability to practice of the gained knowledge in daily life is done. Result: Almost half the students involved were able to solve the tasks given during the workshops and could answers SOA-related questions. These students who call themselves “Don’t Break My Heart” then voluntarily conduct peer-based interactive programs like exhibits, workshops, signature campaign, and social network portal at their school to encourage interest among their peers to learn about SOA in a more interactive and effective manner. Conclusion and Recommendation: The VIPP method allows youths to better understand the topics introduced and creates opportunities to generate new ideas through stimulation of participatory learning. Further studies are needed to assess the knowledge of youths and to evaluate the effectiveness of VIPP as a role to enhance learning