RED RIBBON AWARENESS MONTH
Elks Lodges across the country would normally pay tribute to and celebrate during the month of October with the presentation of the Enrique Camarena Award to a deserving drug enforcement official in their area. We look forward to next year!
RED RIBBON WEEK is officially celebrated annually October 23-31, and is the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention aware-ness program.
Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent who was tortured and killed in Mexico in 1985. In honor of Kiki’s memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents then began to form coalitions using Camarena as their model while embracing his belief that one person can make a difference. These coalitions adopted the symbol of Camarena’s memory, the Red Ribbon. Today, the Red Ribbon serves as a catalyst to mobilize communities to educate youth and encourage participation in drug prevention activities.
PARENTS NEED TO BECOME INVOLVED
Start by becoming a member of the Parent Movement 2.0 which was launched in 2020 to assist parents to help their children navigate the drugs and alcohol trends and use. Most parents today - who were in high school in the 1980s and 1990s - don’t realize there was a quiet but powerful force working to increase the odds that their high school experience would be drug-free or at least not drug-dominate.
When it comes to preventing drug use among kids, parents are the most important factor. But access to a drug and the perception of its harm are two powerful Environmental Prevention factors that help reduce use as well.
ParentMovement2.0.org is designed to help parents quickly understand marijuana in the 21st century, and also the broader field of teenage drug and alcohol use. The ultimate goal - reducing the underage use of marijuana, alcohol, nicotine and all other drugs.
ARE YOU READY to help your teen and learn as much as you can about the issue?
