History of the Drug-Free  Ambassadors Program

The Campaign is mirrored off the very successful Drug-Free Marshall program which has run for the last 10 years in the United States and South Africa, with thousands of children participating in programs run in their schools, pledging to remain drug-free. It has created a base of youth that say "no" and do resist the temptation to "experiment" with drugs.

The program is simple - it begins with getting kids educated about drugs and what they do to the mind and body. And then getting them to make the decision to remain drug-free. They will be faced with situations where they are offered drugs - at parties, clubs or by their friends. We want them to say "No" and to help others to also say "No". By understanding the effects of drugs on their own body and mind and knowing what they want in life, they can say "No". We have found from experience that once youth have made a decision about this, then their decision can be strong enough to carry them through their teenage years and keep them drug-free.

We have taken our campaign to the streets and met with thousands of kids at the markets, at the beach and on the city streets around the country, talking one-on-one with kids and their parents. We have found that with the current drug education being run in our school system, the option of being drug-free is rarely presented in a form that is easy to understand. Just saying "No" without saying why, doesn't really work. Also showing kids how to safely take drugs is even worse! The result is our kids are drinking and taking drugs even more.

We do not agree with harm minimization, because the programme hasn't shown that it reduces drug-taking statistics. The harm caused by drugs is continuing and the programme hasn't stopped the drug use because it has not addressed the cause. More people are trying drugs. There is a reason for this. And there are non-drug solutions that work to prevent drug use. Unfortunately it seems that some of the people pushing certain drug education programmes have personal reasons to push it. If you could solve the drug problem, then a lot of people wouldn't have a job anymore. The ideal goal should be for our kids to be drug-free. We are helping those who are on drugs to be drug-free. The harm minimization idea has not found out why our young people even try drugs. And what makes someone continue using them. When the underlying reason is known and fixed, then the problem can be fixed. That is what the Drug-Free Ambassadors wants to see - real effective solutions implemented that save our kids lives and create a chemical and drug-free future generation.

There are many workable programs that do get addicts off drugs and that keep our kids away from drugs. Did you know that more money is spent in the United States on drugs, than is spent on food? Someone is making a lot of money from this, profiting from the misery of others. We really want to make a change and difference and support all other groups who work to the same ideals and goals. It is not hopeless, but it does take work to fight a growing problem that is pushed by people making a lot of money. The good thing about Australia is that it is an island and our police and government has a very good record of catching drug dealers bringing drugs into our country. They are helping to protect the people. 

It is our view that the current decline of today's society, with the dramatic rise in crime and illiteracy can be directly traced back to the rise in both illegal and prescriptive drugs, creating a "chemical" society. It has to be stopped. It is simple to do, but takes persistence. We hope that you feel the same. Saving one person's life is worthwhile. Talking to your friend and stopping he or she from smoking marijuana, may be one of the best things you will ever do for a friend. Helping someone you know to stop drinking and getting them help if they need it and reporting illegal drug use at school may seem like a small thing,   but it could change many lives for the better, including your own. 

The Drug-Free Ambassadors program concentrates on teaching the effects of drugs on the mind, including how they alter intelligence  and creativity. Drugs definitely alter the chemical levels in a person's body. But it also affects the mind and sometimes this can be far worse in the long run than what it does to a person physically. So it is really important to know about the short and long term mental effects. We also teach kids why some people want to take drugs in the first place and what lies behind this and how it can be helped. All of this is taught in a fun way.  

Around Australia teams of Drug-Free Ambassadors wearing a colourful T-shirt designed by Perth artist Peter Kendall, go out into public places armed with clipboards, talking to people of all ages, surveying them and answering questions about drugs and providing information. They hold events where adults and youth are sworn in as Drug-Free Ambassadors. They also perform concerts and use all channels to spread the message. We give anti-drug lectures and arrange other activities. We hand out tens of thousands of anti-drug booklets each year to kids and adults, giving them factual information about drugs.

We have spoken directly to over 20,000 people and the results have been sometimes surprising to say the least! Most people didn't hesitate in saying that being drug-free was a good idea, but they had little idea about how they could help promote this campaign in the community. Then it became clear that most of them were tied up with the false idea that they were not supposed to promote their ideas to other people making statements like, "You can't tell people what to think" or "People have to make up their own minds."

This sounds fine in theory but the result in practice was that people felt they could not "interfere" at all with someone's privacy and so they were inhibited about taking any responsibility at all! They felt it was somehow wrong to tell someone else that drug taking was a wrong thing to do. But this is what they should be doing. Not just preaching "Don't take drugs", but really knowing about the subject and the effects and giving them some cold, hard facts. We need to be able to talk to our friends when we can see they need help and reach out and do something. Our booklets provide information you can use to really educate yourself and others. 

Young Drug-Free Ambassadors also see for themselves what drug-use can do to people. One Drug Free Ambassador in Sydney, said:
"It's great being a Drug-Free Ambassador because it is really interesting when we speak to people about being free from drugs. One thing this showed me is what people are like when they are on drugs or when they tell us they have been taking drugs because they aren't as clear as people who haven't been taking drugs. They seem to be "out of it" and not easy to talk to. They often repeat things they have already said or they are not able to clearly say what they think, so we were often puzzled after talking to them. My friends who came with me when we did the surveys really saw that drugs are not something they would want to take. People who are sensible certainly wouldn't want to be like that!"

Marijuana is a popular drug but most teenagers surveyed thought it was harmless. Drugs such as heroin were considered dangerous. Yet marijuana is a serious depressant, which has been linked to high male suicide rates in Australia. There is false information circulating about drugs and this is one example.

To find out further information and how this program can be implemented in your school or association, please e-mail us using the link below.