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You are watching UNICEF Television.

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A group of teenagers gather to express themselves through drawing.

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They were all affected by the tsunami,

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but today they are most concerned about the dangers of drugs.

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Sixteen-year-old Nora Sophie adds color to her sign warning against drug use.

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She comes here regularly under the guidance of a local artist.

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This is the latest in a series of art and theater workshops

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for young people in Kota Kuala Muda and the island of Langkawi,

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the hardest-hit areas of the Malaysian coast.

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The meetings were originally conceived by UNICEF

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and its partner organization, Empower,

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as a place for youth to learn to open up and deal with the impact of the tsunami.

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UNICEF and Empower also set up youth leadership camps

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to build confidence and motivation.

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Two years later, many teenagers say the tsunami has become less and less relevant,

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so the activities now focus on more pressing issues

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such as HIV and AIDS, sexuality and violence.

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We realize that if we keep dwelling on the trauma and all this,

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there's not going to be an avenue for them to move on.

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And in a lot of our activities, we not only look at this whole art therapy aspect,

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we actually incorporated sessions where these young people could speak up,

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so they could actually identify what are the issues that concern their lives.

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Sophie has been an active member of the leadership camps and art workshops.

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She tries to help her family recover emotionally and financially from the tsunami.

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After school, she works at the small restaurant her parents have opened

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to replace the seaside snack bar that was destroyed two years ago.

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She says she finds inspiration and comfort in taking part in the art sessions.

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I enjoy these workshops because when I come,

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I get an opportunity to express what I'm feeling inside my heart,

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and I feel lighter by being able to express the problems I have through art.

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With pencils and crayons, young tsunami survivors in Malaysia are leaving the past behind

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and tackling issues they see as a grave threat to the rest of their lives.

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In Langkawi, Malaysia, this is Steve Nettleton reporting for UNICEF Television.

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Unite for Children.