Tag: Foundation for a Drug-Free World

PARIS, France /ScoopCloud/ -- With the eyes of the world on Paris, and some 6 million gathered in the city and other host venues for the 2024 Olympics, Foundation for a Drug-Free World organized a massive distribution of drug education booklets. Hundreds of volunteers from Non à la Drogue, Oui à la Vie (No to Drugs, Yes to Life Association) were delighted to find broad-based support from individuals and groups eager to contribute to the cause.

CITY OF MARKHAM, Ontario /ScoopCloud/ -- Each summer, thousands of visitors pour into the City of Markham, Ontario, for the Taste of Asia Festival. The vibrant event features performances, art, crafts and food representing dozens of nations from China to Japan and India to Indonesia-each unique and special. And every year since 2004, the Toronto chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World has reached out at the festival with its drug education and prevention campaign.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs has granted the Foundation for a Drug-Free World consultative status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Drug-Free World can now organize conferences and participate in events at the UN in Geneva, Vienna and New York.

BERLIN, Germany /ScoopCloud/ -- For an entire month, from June 14 to July 14, Drug-Free World volunteers from Scientology Churches and Missions throughout Germany and their partners reached out to fans at the UEFA European Championship games. They promoted the importance of drug-free living and shared their drug education and prevention campaign.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Drug-Free World has achieved a significant milestone. "We are thrilled to announce that the Foundation for a Drug-Free World has been granted Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council," posted the Foundation's executive director Jessica Hochman on X (formerly Twitter) on July 4.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic /ScoopCloud/ -- "Drug manufacturers, drug pushers and drug distributors are becoming more sophisticated," says Lukáš Bechyně, executive director of the Say No to Drugs-Say Yes to Life Association, an affiliate of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. He and his team of drug prevention activists have just finished their 12-day Drug-Free Czech Cyclo-Run, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

BERGAMO, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- Bikers throughout Northern Italy are getting their bikes ready for the race for a Drug-Free Italy. Held to promote the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse, the 7th annual national Say No to Drugs Motogiro Nazionale (motorbike tour) is organized by Dico No Alla Droga (Say No to Drugs) Italy-the national chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic /ScoopCloud/ -- Lukáš Bechyně is no stranger to challenging situations. At 19, he qualified to compete as a pole vaulter in the International Amateur Athletic Federation World Championships. But after an injury sidelined him, he began to experiment with drugs, and that nearly defeated him. Now, as executive director of the Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life Association of the Czech Republic, an affiliate of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, he is engaged in another kind of competition - reaching Czech youth with the truth about drugs before they begin to experiment with harmful substances.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports drug overdoses are killing young Americans in unprecedented numbers. To help turn the tide on this epidemic, Foundation for a Drug-Free World reached out to those attending the annual National Police Athletic and Activities League (PAL) Training Conference at the Wyndham San Diego Bayside Hotel May 7 - May 10.

VALENCIA, Spain /ScoopCloud/ -- No stranger to drug abuse and its toll, Alfredo Riaño, who heads the chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World in Valencia, Spain, shares his own story to help kids avoid the ordeal of addiction that he eventually escaped from. And he trains educators, law enforcement and other community partners who share his passion to reach youth with the truth about drugs before they fall prey to the dwindling spiral of drug abuse and addiction.

COMPTON, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- On average, 22 adolescents ages 14 to 18 died of overdose in the U.S. every week in 2022. Each was a tragedy. Reaching youth with effective drug prevention can save young lives. Looking for a program that would get through to kids on this vital subject, Compton Unified School District (CUSD) decided to partner with the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. They began using its Truth About Drugs curriculum last summer. And the results proved they were right.

ATLANTA, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- This year's Rx and Illicit Drug Summit highlighted a grim fact of life: "Overdoses and deaths involving synthetic opioids have reached record rates, and every community across our nation is feeling the impact." According to the CDC, more than half of opioid overdose deaths in 10 states studied tested positive for fentanyl. It's time to slam the pedal down on prevention, says Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

VIENNA, Austria /ScoopCloud/ -- This Easter, the Say No to Drugs volunteers of Vienna extend their wish for a bright, healthy future for local children. They've packed their Easter baskets with copies of The Truth About Drugs booklets to give youngsters the information they need to decide for themselves to live drug-free.

CUIABA, Brazil /ScoopCloud/ -- Growing up surrounded by gangs, crime, and violence that plagued his neighborhood in Cuiabá, Brazil, in the '80s and '90s, Diogenes Luiz de Oliveira tried to escape from that life by using and trafficking drugs. Now, he uses his own story and the drug education materials of Foundation for a Drug-Free World to help keep kids out of the trap that consumed and nearly destroyed his life.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. /ScoopCloud/ -- Volunteers from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Scientology Churches and Missions across the Southwest gathered at the Church of Scientology Las Vegas February 10 on the eve of Super Bowl LVIII to take on the drug epidemic affecting the city and the nation. According to the Southern Nevada Health District, 2023 saw a record 237 deaths in the region from fentanyl overdose.

PARIS, France /ScoopCloud/ -- Despite one of the most restrictive drug policies in Europe, France has the highest use of cocaine and second-highest use of cannabis in Europe according to a March 2023 report by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT). But in Paris, drug-prevention volunteers of the Church of Scientology believe drug education can radically change this trend for the better. They are ramping up their Dites Non à la Drogue (Say No to Drugs) campaign to help youth create a better future for themselves.

SEATTLE, Wash. /ScoopCloud/ -- Sean Burke's passion is helping others. A lifelong volunteer and a Scientologist since 1987, during the pandemic he worked with a nonprofit formed by top ICU doctors, sharing information on how to properly treat COVID in the hospital and at home. But this year, he decided to focus on another pandemic: The spiraling drug crisis that is affecting youth throughout America.

PASADENA, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- While two of California's favorite college teams faced each other on the football field this weekend, drug-prevention activists from nearby Scientology Churches set up a bright teal tent in the fan zone to win a different kind of competition altogether: reaching kids before drug dealers do.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Is LSD harmless? Can a single hit of crack hurt you? How addictive is heroin, really? And what about marijuana? "You need to know the truth about drugs," say the volunteers of Foundation for the Drug-Free World Italy - the drug education and prevention initiative supported by the Church of Scientology.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- In the U.S. alone, every five minutes someone dies of overdose. International Overdose Awareness Day is observed both to remember the victims of drug overdoses and to inform the world of the urgent need to adopt effective drug education campaigns.

CLEARWATER, Fla. /ScoopCloud/ -- VOICES FOR HUMANITY - the weekly series presenting heroic change makers from a variety of faiths, cultures and nations, working to uplift their communities - announces a new episode featuring the work of anti-drug activist Julieta Santagostino on June 21, 2023.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Church of Scientology Los Angeles hosts the second annual National Red Ribbon Week Drug-Free Heroes Awards to help end the deadly crisis that is threatening the lives of L.A. kids. Event keynote speaker and awardee Mr. Henry Lozano is an example of what one man or woman can do to reverse this catastrophe. For decades, countless children's lives have been saved because of his work.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Scientology Churches and Scientologists mark International Drug Overdose Awareness Day by bringing the truth about drugs to bear against the deadly pandemic of overdose deaths. Drug overdose doesn't discriminate. It honors no borders.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- In honor of International Youth Day, August 12, the Church of Scientology shares humanitarian initiatives to help young people set a positive course for their lives and thrive.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- The United Nations set aside June 26 as International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking "to promote action and cooperation toward the goal of an international society free of drug abuse." And at no time has it been more urgent to do so. The Scientology Network marks the day by focusing on humanitarians who are working to end the drug abuse crisis in towns and cities across the world.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- With International Day Against Drug Abuse and Human Trafficking one week away, Scientology Churches across the world rededicate themselves to handling "the other pandemic" - drug abuse and addiction.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Scientology Churches promoted drug education on World Health Day April 7, with seminars, presentations and drug education distribution events to prevent drug abuse and overdose deaths. With a powerful new synthetic opioid known as ISO (isotonitazene) leaving disaster in its wake, the need for effective drug education and prevention has never been greater than now.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- With overdose deaths spiking in Los Angeles County during the pandemic, Foundation for a Drug-Free World volunteers mobilize from the Church of Scientology Los Angeles to reach out with a drug education and prevention drive.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Foundation for a Drug-Free World volunteers from Scientology Churches and Missions across Italy provide fact-based drug education to help stem the damage caused by drug abuse and addiction.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Just last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced more than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States during the 12-month period ending April 2021. The Church of Scientology International urges concerned parents, educators and community leaders to take action against the "other pandemic" with drug education and prevention.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- On International Overdose Awareness Day, a full day of drug-prevention programming on the Scientology Network provides solutions at the grassroots level. The Church of Scientology International invites parents, educators and civic and community leaders wishing to make a difference about the drug overdose crisis to see how leaders in the field of drug prevention are making an impact on this urgent issue.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- This weekend on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, and throughout the year, the Church of Scientology International and Scientologists help youth make the self-determined decision to live drug-free. Why? Because drug prevention works. And it saves young lives.