National Drug Facts Week 2013

 What is National Drug Facts Week (NDFW)?
National Drug Facts Week is a health observance week for teens—an initiative of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of NDFW is to shatter the myths about drugs and drug abuse.  It will be celebrated this year the week of January 28^th to February 3^rd, 2013. 

Who created National Drug Facts Week?

National Drug Facts Week was launched by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIDA scientists want to give teens the opportunity to learn what science has taught us about drug abuse and addiction amid the noise and clutter of drug myths they get from the internet, TV, movies, music, or from friends.

How did NDFW start?
In 2008, NIDA began hosting its annual Drug Facts Chat Day for teens, during which thousands of teens asked questions about drugs via a Web chat. Every year teens ask many more questions than the scientists can answer in a day. In response to this demonstrated interest NIDA developed NDFW, asking teens, schools and community groups all over America to hold their own "Q and A" events with local scientific experts.

What happens on NDFW?
Community-based "question and answer" teen-focused events, nationally televised messages and shows on drug facts and events on the web are the major happenings during NDFW.

What are NDFW Community-Based Events?
NDFW Community-Based Events are about shattering drug myths and getting the scientific facts about drugs and drug abuse. In Van Buren Community Schools the Youth Leadership Council (YLC) Members will be holding a variety of events, they include:

·    Posters/Facts:  The Middle School YLC members will be hanging posters around the school with a “Did you know” fact.  These facts help shatter the myths about drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

·    Flash Mob: The High School YLC members will perform a flash mob some time during the week to peek the other student’s interest in National Drug Facts Week!

·    TAG It Activity: The High School YLC members will do a Tag It activity (this is where the students take pictures of things that help them to be above the influence of drugs) the week before National Drug Facts Week and will share their findings with the student body during the week in a display they will set up in the gym lobby. 

·    Distributing Shatter the Myths Booklets: The High School YLC members will be distributing the booklets to all of the Middle School students during lunch one day to help them become aware of the dangers of drugs.

·    Distributing Buttons: The Middle School YLC members will be passing out NDFW buttons to their fellow classmates during lunch one day to help their peers become aware of the dangers of drugs and NDFW!

Color Days: The High School YLC Members will be asking their peers to wear different colors of shirts for each day.  They will make an announcement with a drug fact for each day of the week.  The following are the colors and their meanings for the week:  Monday- White = Purity, Tuesday- Blue = Alcohol Free, Wednesday- Red = Drugs are dangerous, Thursday- Orange = Healthy/ Drug Free and Friday- Black = Death.
Why participate in NDFW?
A third of high school seniors report using an illicit drug sometime in the past year, and more than ten percent report non medical use of a prescription painkiller. This data shows that some teens are not aware of the risks of drug abuse. Even for those teens who do not abuse drugs, they may have friends or family who do, and may be looking for ways to help them. NDFW events’ encourage teens to get the scientific facts about drugs so they will make healthy decisions for themselves and share this information with others.

For more information on National Drug Facts Week call 301-443-1124 or visit the Web site http://drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov.  You can also contact the SAFE Coalition at 319-293-6412 or at info@vbsafecoalition.com.