About
The DEA Educational Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization established in 2001 whose goal is to educate the public on the many costs and consequences of illegal drugs in our society.
Drugs: Cost & Consequences travelling exhibit
Beginnings
In 2002, the DEA in partnership with the DEA Educational Foundation (DEAEF) launched their first national traveling exhibit, Target America. In 2013, the exhibit was updated and renamed Drugs: Costs & Consequences. To date, more than 22 million students, teachers, and parents have visited the exhibit in 20 cities nationwide. The exhibit is currently on display at the Health Museum in Houston, TX until June 2024. The exhibit includes Spanish translations in key areas, new animated videos for youth and important information about the dangers of fentanyl and fake pills.
What We Do
DEAEF Youth Dance Program
The Foundation funds the DEAEF Youth Dance Program (DEAEF YDP) which is a free afterschool alternative to drugs through the fun, healthy, and expressive art form of dance. The DEAEF YDP begins at a participating school with an assembly led by a professional dance company. At the assembly, the dance company highlights exciting and motivating choreography along with the important messages about a healthy and drug-free lifestyle. Instructor(s) from the company then lead a 20-week dance class series for students free of charge. Besides participating in performances, students also have an opportunity to apply for a scholarship to a local studio. It costs the Foundation approximately $6,750 to support one school per year. The instructors work with the local DEA Field Division to bring additional anti-drug programs to their students. The DEAEF YDP was piloted in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. in 2012 with 10 programs. In 2016, the DEAEF YDP became a part of DEA’s 360 Strategy as a community partner to help combat opioid abuse. The DEAEF YDP is now in nearly 55 cities, positively influencing thousands of students nationwide.
Youth Programs
Due to the success of the DEAEF YDP and the support of generous donors, the Foundation has used this model to develop two additional national programs, the DEAEF Youth Baseball Program (DEAEF YBP) and the DEAEF Youth Martial Arts Program (DEAEF YMAP). In addition, we host many additional youth programs in art, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and more. In 2021, the Foundation became a partner in DEA’s Operation Engage. This partnership allows a wider reach across the country bringing the aforementioned programs and new activities such as BabyScientist Inc., Hooked on Fishing, Big Screen to Prevent a Big Problem, youth leadership academies and more. In 2023, the DEAEF youth and community programs will reach nearly 80 cities nationwide.
Foundation around the United States and World
The Foundation has been active in other parts of the world besides the United States. In 2011, the Foundation partnered with the US State Department and the Colombo Plan to create and manage three traveling exhibits geared toward raising awareness of the dangers of opium/heroin for the adults and children in Afghanistan. In 2013, the DEA Educational Foundation developed a partnership with the China Trust Bank in Taiwan that ultimately led to the creation of a foundation modeled after the DEAEF called the CTBC Anti-Drug Educational Foundation. Both foundations have been collaborating since that time and have jointly shared the development of several programs in the US and Taiwan. One of the more recent outcomes has been the development of a process to introduce the drug court system in Taiwan modeled after the very successful drug court programs in the US.
Foundation Partners
Professional Education
The Foundation conducts educational seminars with a goal of reaching corporations and community interest groups to raise awareness about opioids and offer solutions to curb the epidemic our country is facing. The most recent endeavor is a speaker series reaching DEAEF community partners with relevant drug education topics delivered by subject matter experts.
Partnerships
Throughout the years, friends who have believed in the mission of the DEA Educational Foundation have taken action to allow the Foundation’s goals to flourish. Contributions, both large and small, have advanced the Foundation’s ability to enrich the many educational programs of the DEAEF. Through these programs, it is the Foundation’s hope to encourage young people to avoid the pitfalls of drug addiction that have claimed so many Americans in the past two centuries. Each one of the contributions the Foundation receives, whether it is a small donation in memory of a loved one, or a six-figure gift restricted to the traveling exhibit, makes a difference. For behind every gift there is a story filled with compassion, combined with a fervent desire to be part of an organization that educates our children, our teachers, and our families about the dangers of drug abuse. The DEA Educational Foundation’s loyal supporters want to make a difference, not only in their own lives, but in their community and in the world.