First McGuire Drug Education For Youth program to begin Published June 29, 2007 By the Drug Demand and Reduction office MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. -- Have you ever wanted to make a difference in the war on drugs? Have you ever wondered what you could do to have a positive impact on children and family members in your community? Have you ever asked yourself how you might be able to help youth make better decisions about gang participation, and drug and alcohol use? Have you ever wanted to help youth develop goal setting, team building and conflict resolution skills? If you answered yes to any of these questions, and you want to make a difference, your assistance is needed in launching the first Drug Education For Youth Program at McGuire Air Force Base. But before you volunteer your services, let's define DEFY: DEFY is a two-phased prevention program designed to deter "at-risk" behaviors by giving kids the tools they need to resist drugs and develop positive social skills. Your assistance will be needed during Phase I, in the area of Camp participation and mentorship. Phase I is a structured, eight-day non-residential camp environment conducted during the summer, tentatively scheduled for July 16-9 and July 23-26, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the McGuire community center. During Phase I, you participate in classroom learning that covers self-management skills (such as goal setting, conflict resolution and self control, and resistance skills), knowledge of harmful effects of the "gate way" drugs (marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, inhalants) and peer pressure, and general social skills (getting along with others). In addition, youth participate in physical fitness activities, complete the President's Physical Fitness Challenge (the same program conducted in the schools), and go on educational trips that emphasize DEFY goals and objectives with a hands-on experience. Your services are needed to make this program a reality at McGuire. For more information, call Titus Welcome at (609) 754-9324, Donna Gauze at (609) 754-9493, Kevin Hansen at (609) 754-5911 or Kath Kreig at (609) 754-4280. Positive values and relationships, concern for others, good health, a good education and a satisfying career -- these are things we want for the young people of today. Unfortunately, our young people face many obstacles to reaching these goals. And the disturbing trend of substance abuse among young people today is one of the major obstacles. Substance abuse hurts our families, schools and neighborhoods. It hurts our health, social service, and burdens our criminal justice systems. Substance abuse ends up hurting everyone in our country. We know that young people who do not use illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco before they are 18 are likely to avoid substance abuse problems for the rest of their lives. But, unfortunately, many young people are using these substances well before they reach age 18. Young people generally begin using cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and inhalants, and then progress to other drugs. These four drugs are often called "gateway" drugs because they provide a gateway, or an opening, to other harmful drug use. Because the use of gateway drugs is most often the beginning point of drug use, the information we present to young people in DEFY primarily focuses on these four drugs. Each year, thousands of young people take part in a national survey to assess their drug use (Monitoring the Future, 2002). Here is what 8th graders, the youngest group who were surveyed, reported in 1999: Almost one in six have used an illicit drug (such as marijuana, cocaine or crack, LSD or heroin) in the past year. Nearly one in eight had five or more drinks in a row on one occasion in the past two weeks. Almost one in 12 had used marijuana in the last 30 days. Almost four percent had used an inhalant in the past 30 days. In the past year, 1.3 percent had used Ketamine or Oxycontin and almost three percent had used Ecstasy. These statistics were gathered from the general population. Are the numbers different for DoD family members? In a study published in 1997, among 10-18-year old military adolescents: Almost 30 percent reported using alcohol or illegal drugs. The drugs of choice were alcohol, marijuana and inhalants. For those reporting drug use in the last 30 days, about 55 percent used alcohol, 20 percent used marijuana and nine percent used inhalants (Jeffreys, Leitzel, et. al., 1997). Use of alcohol and drugs is significantly lower among military youth than in the general population -- but the rates are still too high to ignore. One of the keys to successful substance abuse prevention is to begin prevention efforts early. The Department of the Navy provides a program that does just that. In response to unacceptably high rates of substance abuse among young people, in 1993 the Navy launched an innovative program -- Drug Education for Youth -- for 9-to-12-year-olds. So far, more than 20,000 young people have participated in DEFY. DEFY has two parts: Phase I, a summer leadership camp, and Phase II, a mentoring program conducted during the school year. The leadership camp is held at a military base, college campus or other site within the community. Some leadership camps last for eight days. These camps are non-residential and the young people return home at the end of each day. Other camps last for five days and the young people sleep overnight at the camp. Complete the staff mentor application and fax it to (609) 754-9351. These applications will be reviewed and a background check will be done to ensure the safety of the children who attend this program. Upon receipt of these applications, Mr. Welcome will contact each person to schedule a brief interview. These applications and interviews are necessary to comply with the directives associated with the DEFY program. What are the DEFY Goals? DEFY focuses on the whole young person. DEFY activities and instruction center around helping children grow and learn by developing both their mind and body. DEFY staff will help children achieve these goals: Improve their self-image by developing their self-esteem, confidence, optimism and sense of responsibility. Improve their social skills to develop healthy friendships and to successfully interact with peers, parents and guardians, and those in authority; and to participate in and contribute to positive groups, including youth organizations. Improve their self-management skills such as avoiding and managing conflicts, setting and achieving goals, accepting challenges and resisting peer pressure. Improve their lifestyle through physical fitness training and physical challenges. Improve their knowledge of drug information and drug refusal skills, and their awareness of the influences to use drugs. Expose kids to education-oriented, vocational and career information. We believe that each of these goals is important to achieve so that young people grow up to be healthy, productive and drug-free adults.