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DRUG EDUCATION PROGRAM A SUCCESS
Dear Friends, Compliments of the season. I must say thank you to you for any support or contribution you have provided to help forward the activities of making the Drug Education program in the schools a real success. I do know that by seeing the results we have obtained, you will be inspired to do more as it becomes a tireless action to do. Why tireless is because when you know what to do and you do it correctly, you see results - such as children and youth who once aspired they would help their friends and family making that become a reality and seeing them saved from the damage drugs do.
The children and youth show a sense of confidence and pride having been able to help a fellow being from potentially being destroyed by drugs and lost. We are saving the youth from an evil (drugs) that breaks up families, the fabric of society. This year will see bigger accomplishments. Your dedication will come naturally, you\'ll suddenly notice you can do things you might have believed impossible and only true in dreams, you\'ll notice you have more time at hand, more good things happen around you - all because you decided to continue to help bring about education that will save our children and youth from being trapped by drugs. This is what was accomplished last year.
Over the period of August and November 2008, the Foundation for a Drug Free World successfully fulfilled its campaign to educate the youth of Durban on the Truth About Drugs. Booklet distribution was done in partnership with the Tongaat SAPS in August reaching 2000 people, 7 Primary schools in Reservoir Hills in partnership with the Reservoir Hills Interfaith Forum enrolled 1200 learners on the program and successfully graduating 550 learners to become Drug Free Marshals who earned their certificate and a badge. Those learners were capacitated to Say No to Drugs and went all out to help their peers to get off drugs, not do drugs and even went to the extent of successfully getting their family or neighbours to come off dagga, alcohol and pain killers. They express a sense of confidence and pride in being able to accomplish such results. In October 2008, 320 senior leader learners of Grades 9 to 11 and 25 teachers from 22 schools in Phoenix, Newlands, Wentworth and Sydenham were trained on Leadership Skills and How to Talk to Others About Drugs. They are now capacitated to take the Drug Education program and implement it in their school. New West Secondary and Wyebank High have committed themselves to get all learners (a total of 2500 learners) through the Lesson Plans which takes them systematically through the booklet The Truth About Drugs and then become Drug Free Marshals. This is a combined effort of the LO teachers and school learner leaders who want to see positive and permanent change for the better in their school and community. This year is even more promising where we have over 22 schools engaged to get the program implemented which involves over 18000 learners to become Drug Free Marshals in the next 2 to 3 months. Community activities are being organised to extend the education outside the school boundaries, to reach other schools and help create a better society. It is agreed that drug taking, abuse and addiction is destroyer of our current culture and breaks apart the very fabric of society. It breaks apart families which society depends upon for its growth, and also breeds a new generation of criminals and immoral youth.
The Drug Education Program is an initiative that is partnering with churches, NGO’s, the SAPS, businesses and newspapers, such as the Rising Sun and Biophile Magazine who decided that they want to contribute to the building of a sustainable culture where all people of KZN can live in peace, harmony, free of crime and violence. Hence the elimination of drug abuse is key to preserve a culture we want to see happen and all participants need to come on board to make it a reality. The Truth About Drugs booklet is part of a series of pocket sized, research-based booklets refined through two decades of experience by members of Scientology churches and other volunteer organizations participating in the "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" drug prevention campaign.
The "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" campaign has been carried out in 60 countries over the past 20 years, including 51,247,843 handouts (with 21 million Truth About Drugs booklets), 280,000 billboards and posters, 98,000 public events and 3.4 million individuals pledging to be drug free.
For more information on the "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" Program contact Allan Wohrnitz on 073 3149545, email allanwohrnitz@gmail.com or visit www.drugfreeworld.org
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