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Parents Key to Kids’ Success, Says Educator

Drug prevention conference gives parents tools for their kids to avoid drugs and gangs.

Hispanic drug prevention conference draws record numbers, and informs parents on how to help their kids avoid drugs, gangs and teen pregnancies.

A record number of Hispanic parents and teens attended the 14th Annual Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Education Conference in Encinitas, California. The program was hosted by Ms. Beatriz Villarreal, founder of the Mano a Mano Foundation, a program that empowers Latino parents to help their teenage children succeed by steering them clear of drugs and gangs.

The conference included presentations by the Encinitas Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the California Highway Patrol.

In 2014, 13 percent of men and 15 percent of women arrested in San Diego County tested positive for heroin, more than double that of 2002. And 75-80 percent of the kids in juvenile hall are Latino with drugs a critical factor in their imprisonment, points out Villarreal.

Key to turning this scene around is parental involvement. But Villarreal has found that most parents steer clear of the subject—they feel they don’t know enough to talk to their kids about drugs.

“If we don’t start educating the parents to teach their kids, we’re never going to stop addiction,” she says. Villarreal has adopted Drug-Free World’s materials in her program, and the PSAs and documentary formed a key component of the conference.

“One mom showed her son The Truth About Drugs materials after he started smoking marijuana and he stopped using drugs,” she says. “I have several cases like that—the materials are that powerful.”


WE really WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

We surveyed hundreds of US educators and drug prevention specialists currently using The Truth About Drugs materials to get their feedback on the program. Here is what they said:

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER, WYOMING

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER, MONTANA

DRIVER’S EDUCATION INSTRUCTOR, OREGON

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER, ARKANSAS

JUVENILE SUBSTANCE ABUSE SPECIALIST, LOUISIANA

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER, OHIO


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