DEAEF and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Partner to Offer Substance Misuse and Abuse Education
Since 2021, the DEA Educational Foundation has partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to provide opioid and substance abuse prevention programs for BBBS mentors, staff, parents/caregivers, and youth in communities across the nation.
“Our partnership with the DEA Educational Foundation is expanding our capacity to meet our stakeholders where they are, and to support them in their fight against the opioid crisis in their local community,” said Laura Dye, Federal Grant Proposal and Report Writer. “Developing effective resources to train and educate staff, Bigs (volunteers), Littles (youth), as well as parents & caregivers, is a vital part of our strategy to provide tools that build protective factors and save lives.”
Each virtual program is an hour and is moderated by DEAEF personnel who line up speakers, customize the content depending on the audience, whether they are Bigs, Littles, staff, or parents. Moderators welcome participants, set the tone and keep the pace for the interactive training, answer questions in the chat, play videos as necessary, and introduce the panel of speakers. The speakers share their expertise, personal experiences, and answer questions from participants. Speakers have included DEA personnel who share the latest information on worldwide and national statistics, former DEA agents who share stories from the trenches, and other special partners to the DEA and DEAEF. Special partners offer a variety of education including showcasing short professional videos that participants can share with loved ones about a variety of topics, practical and easy to use frameworks for having tough conversations about drugs, and their personal stories as they relate to substance abuse and misuse, ensuring participants that they are not alone in their struggles and offering hope for a brighter future.
Developing effective resources to train and educate staff, Bigs (volunteers), Littles (youth), as well as parents & caregivers, is a vital part of our strategy to provide tools that build protective factors and save lives.”
One of the frequent speakers is Steve Murphy, retired Special Agent with DEA. Steve and his partner, Javier Pena, targeted the world’s first narco-terrorist, Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel. Their efforts, in partnership with others, resulted in the dismantlement of the largest and most violent international drug trafficking organization of its time. United States and international law enforcement continue to use the innovative strategies that were created and implemented by Steve and Javier during this time.
“One of our goals with these educational programs is to help participants feel inspired and better equipped to have well-informed and open dialog about drug use and misuse with those around them, said Steve. “We’re all affected by drug abuse. Let’s all do what we can to end this.”
The DEAEF looks forward to the continued partnership in 2023 as well as implementing a similar training module with the National League of Young Men, Blue Agents of Change, and a variety of corporations. If your company is interested in incorporating this of programming, please contact us.
Updated Apr 22, 2023
Partnerships