Five years ago, during an outdoor adventure training activity, Tam Lok-yee, a first-cohort mentee of the Leadership Institute on Narcotics (L.I.O.N.), led an all-female team in building a bamboo raft to sail on the sea.

Founded by the Narcotics Bureau (NB) to cultivate 100 young anti-drug leaders every year, the programme has now reached its fifth anniversary. The then raft team leader is now a Probationary Inspector, wearing the same uniform as Senior Inspector Leung Wing-yee, who helped launch the project from scratch. Both continue to dedicate themselves to the same mission, but in different roles.

Nurturing young leaders to spread anti-drug messages among peers

Leung shared, “Everyone knows to stay away from drugs, but messages from peers are far more credible and impactful.” The L.I.O.N. team wants to move away from the traditional “you speak, I listen” approach. Therefore, it uses diverse training and experiential learning to help mentees master anti-drug knowledge, while developing their leadership and event organisation skills. “By nurturing mentees into anti-drug leaders who share their knowledge with peers, the message ripples outward like waves.”

A sobering lesson: one person’s drug abuse can harm three generations

For Leung, the most memorable experience was leading mentees to visit a rehabilitation centre. “That was the most impactful lesson in life. People often hear ‘drugs are harmful’, but rarely the stories behind those words.”

Some have stolen their family’s savings to buy drugs, breaking their parents’ hearts; others have repeatedly failed in their attempts to quit, caught in a struggle between temptation and resistance. Listening to these personal stories, mentees realised that the destructive power of drugs is never confined to one person alone - it can also affect parents and even their children in the future.

From raft team leader to sub-unit commander

Being a mentee of the first cohort, Tam joined the programme as a university student. Her most unforgettable memory remains that bamboo raft mission. Her greatest lesson as a leader was helping her four teammates recognise their own strengths and enabling them to become leaders. This insight and experience helped her pass the Inspector selection on her first attempt, and also enabled her to learn the art of leading a team early on.

Now a commander of a Patrol Sub-unit, she said, “My team members vary in age and background. Likewise, I hope to empower every colleague to excel in their own domain.”

Sprouting seeds: uniting anti-drug forces

From a single raft to a mobile institute, and from a mentee to a sub-unit commander, the past five years have witnessed not only the growth of a programme, but also the transformation of a group of young people.

Leung said, “We hope every mentee will find their own spark, realise their ability to influence others, and bravely pursue an even bigger dream, thereby contributing to society in various roles.”

Established in 2021, L.I.O.N. recruits 100 secondary school and university students from across Hong Kong each year as mentees. Leaders of the community provide advice on curriculum design and the programme’s development direction, while advisers and mentors from different professional fields deliver systematic training and guide mentees in designing and implementing anti-drug activities. The programme is committed to nurturing mentees into outstanding young anti-drug leaders.