Twenty years ago, a young woman struggling with drug and alcohol addiction was desperate to find a way to resolve her problems. She found that by speaking to her peers she was able to overcome her issues, and as a result she developed a peer support and self-help model to assist others.
Kids Everywhere Like You was what she called it, and over the years that was shortened to KELY.
Since then, the organisation has helped millions of people aged 14 to 24 across Hong Kong face their greatest fears.
It marked its 20th anniversary yesterday with 'K20 - Celebrating 20 Years of Youth Empowerment', a fund-raising carnival at the Y-Platform of Youth Square in Chai Wan.
The group has developed into a non-government-funded, fully bilingual charity that specialises in dealing with drug and alcohol addictions, low self-esteem, and negative body image and preventing suicide.
Three teenagers who have suffered from a variety of issues shared their thoughts on how much KELY had changed their lives. They chose to remain anonymous, as did the founder.
