The Youth Action website celebrates stories of young people who have made a positive difference in their community through drug prevention efforts, health promotion, and youth empowerment. And as we continue to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Youth Initiative, we would also like to pay tribute NGOs and CBOs that engaged with or involved youth in implementing substance use prevention projects.
We will share stories of projects funded by Japan's DAPC grants which are implemented in various countries and regions around the world. We begin with a grantee located in Nigeria, Freedom Foundation, whose project goal was to provide life skills to youth, increase peer education by youth, and equip caregivers such as parents and teachers with better parenting skills and counseling skills; all with the ultimate goal of delaying initiation of substance amongst youth in the Oshodi Isolo area.
Freedom Foundation targeted schools and institutions, and also cooperated with stakeholders in the local community to form a coalition partnership. Drug-free clubs were initiated in schools to allow students to advocate for their right to education, stay in school, and have the opportunity to be educated on substance use prevention. The NGO actively sought for peer educators to better reach the targeted youth population, which included both in-school and out-of-school youth. Training manuals were developed and utilized to facilitate peer-to-peer sessions.
Prevention and early intervention are important. Freedom Foundation targeted populations and settings that have a great impact and can provide support and stability to children and youth: families and the school environment. Kudos to Freedom Foundation for contributing to creating a safe environment for school-aged children and youth!
Projects funded by the DAPC grant are made possible by the generous donation from the Drug Abuse Prevention Center (DAPC) in Japan. DAPC grants have the potential to reach hard-to-reach places in the world through grant awarding to NGOs and CBOs in low- and middle-income countries working to promote and support substance use prevention and youth empowerment.
