The students of the Centre for Studies in Journalism and Mass Communication (CSJMC), Dibrugarh University on Sunday ran a grassroots engagement initiative via cinema screening at the Sealkotee Tea Estate as part of their current 45-day campaign titled #HopesUpDrugsDown.
The campaign began on May 15 and will go on until June 29 to disperse the message of the importance of seeking help against drug abuse and lifetime benefits that rehabilitation provides. This is the second phase after a one-month long starter campaign was conducted in February this year.
The event was graced by the presence of chief guest, Plabona Bora Goswami, the president of Pratyavartan Rehabilitation Centre in Dibrugarh whose presence boosted the morale of the community members in attendance.
“My heartfelt gratitude to the students of CSJMC for taking this initiative to open conversations around drug and substance abuse awareness. This is a pressing societal issue today and its elimination is a responsibility of every member of society,” she said in her opening remarks.
Goswami emphasised the powerful influence that parents hold to avoid risks for any kind of drug or substance abuse.
The campaign started off with two on-ground events on June 8 and 9 with a public survey followed by a social experiment across strategic locations that was conducted to gauge public reactions and deeply-held notions around drug abuse and victimhood.
The community members came out inspired and moved after the screening that was followed by an interactive session.
Monalisha Mishra Tanti, a garden hospital worker, participated in the session and said, “We watch cinema for two main reasons- entertainment and knowledge. Our takeaway from today’s event is that it is important to recognize the supportive figures in one’s life and that parents can support their children tackles these challenges head on.”
Another community member, Parmeshwar Tanti, a retired garden LP school teacher, added, “Education can help create the needed awareness that is lacking today. The government benefits that are provided to us should be used rigorously towards the care and upliftment of our children and community as a whole so we can build healthy future generations.”
As part of their assignment, the students of the Centre for Studies in Journalism and Mass Communication, Dibrugarh University specialising in Public Relations, have been using their subject of study of communications to bring difficult conversations around social causes to the table within Dibrugarh district.
The month-long campaign strives to offer an open space for respectful conversations around drug abuse and the address the reasons behind the taboo around seeking rehabilitation and aims to occupy a significant place in the public consciousness for the future.