Narconon Yunlin: 2024 Community Outreach and Addiction Education Activities in Taiwan

 

Narconon Yunlin, located in west-central Taiwan, around 125 miles south of Taipei, is led by Executive Director Kally Lin and Deputy Executive Director Sheng-Ji Chen, known as Jimmy. Throughout 2024, the center continued to expand its educational outreach, its support for families, and community engagement across several regions of Taiwan, responding to a steady and growing demand for drug education and addiction prevention services.

Drug Education in the Classroom

The center’s school outreach began in February, when Kally Lin delivered a drug education lecture at a local school in Yunlin County. The work continued through the spring, with further sessions at local schools and high schools in April and another round of high school lectures in May.

In July, the outreach extended south to Pingtung, where Kally Lin addressed teachers and school directors at the elementary level. This emphasis on educating the adults responsible for students reflects the center’s prevention strategy: equipping those who guide young people each day with accurate information about drugs. In August, a Narconon Yunlin community event for local teachers and students was covered by PeoPo, Taiwan’s public media citizen journalism platform. In September, the center delivered three drug education lectures to schools in Yunlin, and in December closed the year with a workshop for 20 teachers at a school near the center.

Educational Programs in Correctional Facilities

Addiction education within Taiwan’s correctional system remains a significant part of Narconon Yunlin’s work. As reported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice, drug-related offenses ranked as the second-highest cause of incarceration as of August 2020, and during that same period, the prison system was operating at 114.8 percent of capacity. Drug-related crimes continued to account for a substantial share of incarceration in 2024, with approximately 21,304 inmates imprisoned for drug offenses (42% of all prison inmates). For many incarcerated individuals, accurate education about addiction and a clear path toward recovery have simply never been made available.

In response, Narconon Yunlin continued its lectures and workshops inside correctional facilities throughout 2024, in both men’s and women’s correctional facilities. Education activities were conducted at Chiayi Prison and Hualien Prison in April, with further sessions at additional facilities between May and September.

Source:

• https://www.rjsd.moj.gov.tw/RJSDWEB/common/WebList3_Report.aspx?list_id=774
• https://taiwaninsight.org/2020/11/27/the-history-and-consequences-of-taiwans-war-on-drugs/

Family Outreach, Support and Prevention Activities

Family holds a central place in Taiwanese society, where it is widely regarded as a foundational unit of social organization, shaped by Confucian cultural values. Concepts such as Xiao (Familial Responsibility and Respect) and Mianzi (social standing and collective reputation) reinforce the strength of family bonds and the obligation to support one another. Because addiction rarely affects one person in isolation, supporting families is essential to lasting recovery.

With this in mind, and against a backdrop of the “synthetic wave” and often misunderstood substances such as ketamine being used by younger people, family education remained a focus of Narconon Yunlin throughout 2024.

The center organized events both online and in person to provide information and support to those affected by a loved one's addiction. At these gatherings, graduates of the program spoke about their experiences before and after recovery, and families who required further assistance received direct support. These activities culminated in an event at a Community Center in Kaohsiung.

Sources:

• https://www.jstor.org/stable/2777141
• https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1410&context=honors
• https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/taiwanese-culture/taiwanese-culture-family

Community Outreach

Narconon Yunlin’s drug education outreach was exemplified by a public lecture, including a discussion of drug-free living, held in the Tianyuan Palace in Shengang, Taichung City, to approximately 350 attendees.

This was followed by on-site discussions with students from the National Chung Cheng University in Chiayi City, followed by informational briefings on Narconon for social workers and teachers.

Press and Television

 

Narconon Yunlin's activities drew attention from several media organizations during 2024, from the China Times interview of the Executive Director, followed by the Taiwan News and then OBC News. Narconon Yunlin was represented in June by Kally Lin and Sheng-Ji Chen on former President Chen Shui-bian’s television program “Have a Dream.”

Community Recognition

 

Jimmy Chen, Deputy Executive Director, was named one of the “Yunlin 100,” a recognition program honoring individuals whose “persistence and values are making a real difference in the county.” The “Persist 100 Values” Association published an accompanying book, “Values & Persistence,” which included his account of his journey from drug addiction to recovery and the opening of a Narconon center in Yunlin with his wife.

The award certificate read: “Congratulations to Shen Ji Chen (Jimmy). Selected into the Yunlin 100 ‘Value & Persistence’ Stories, your persistence carries forward the greatness of Yunlin, and your work leads Taiwan forward. It is a model of diligence and progress for future generations. Thank you for your efforts and the pride of Yunlin.” The book was officially released that September.

Recovery and Rehabilitation Outcomes

For all its outreach and educational activity in 2024, the center keeps its focus on the individuals who complete the program and the families who walk back into their lives.

When completing the program, graduates share their stories, including challenges they encountered and how they actively use what they’ve learned in the program to live a life of sobriety.

These graduation events take place in the presence of family members, staff, and former graduates, those best able to understand what they are hearing.

Narconon Yunlin’s work remains focused on individuals affected by addiction and their families, delivered through education, outreach, and community-based programs across Taiwan. The center continues to develop its activities in support of drug education and prevention efforts in the communities it serves.