Mawkyrwat: The 1st South West Khasi Hills district level youth exchange programme 2019 organised by the office of the District Sports Officer, Mawkyrwat kicked off at Nativity Higher Secondary School Auditorium in Mawkyrwat on Thursday.
The programme which centers around the theme ‘Say No to Drugs’ was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner Isawanda Laloo who lauded the office of the DSO for taking such an initiative.
She said that a large percentage of the population comprise of young people who will shape the future of the nation and therefore it is very important that students are groomed before stepping into the big world.
While pointing out that the district has great potential in different fields, the DC said, “We have so many budding singers, dancers and sports persons and inside each one of us there is a dream and there is a vision”.
She also encouraged the youth to work hard and to stay away from temptation so that they can achieve their goals in life.
Speaking on the theme, Laloo said, “You are so lucky that you are not slaves to drugs and alcohol because once they become masters of our lives they would control us”.
She also expressed her concern regarding the growth in the number of drug users and urged the youth to become the agents of change.
Others who spoke included the principal of St. Anthony’s HS School, Shillong, Fr. Anthony Kharkongor who conducted an ice breaking session and spoke on the topic ‘youth as builder of the nation’.
Others highlights of the day included lectures on various topics such as ‘drugs and young people” by officials from the Meghalaya Aids Control Society, ‘youth and leadership’ and ‘youth challenges of the day’ by Fr. Anthony Kharkongor.
A number of competitions were also held such as extempore speech, flute and guitar competition, folk song competition along with art and Zumba/areobics sessions.
