- What
is DEFY and how is it funded?
- What
is special about DEFY ?
- Is
the program designed to compete with DARE?
- Who
is the main point of contact in my area?
- What
is the cut-off date to sign up for phase I
camp in my area?
- When
is the DEFY Phase I camp in my area?
- Can
my child attend a Phase I camp more than
once?
- What
does it cost the parent/guardian?
- Who
are the members of the DEFY staff?
- Do
you accommodate special needs children?
The
Drug Education For Youth (DEFY) program was
established in 1993 by the Navy's
Drug Demand Reduction Task Force. Fully
integrated with the President's National Drug
Control Strategy, and fully funded through the
Office of the Secretary of Defense, DEFY has
been the Navy's cornerstone for drug demand
reduction for the dependent youth and adult
mentoring involvement. It provides drug
education, conflict resolution, team building
exercises, and leadership development to youth
between the ages of 9 and 12.
Unlike
most programs, DEFY combines elements from
many different youth programs, including
physical fitness, mini "Upward
Bound" type training, educational trips,
self-esteem and peer leadership development,
decision-making, drug resistance, and a formal
graduation. We believe this intensive Phase I
approach is the most effective way to
initially influence positive attitudes in
youth. More importantly, DEFY offers a
year-long follow-up to Phase I which
emphasizes small group mentoring/role modeling
and special events and workshops which
continue to build on the lessons of Phase I.
DEFY is also unique in that it utilizes
existing Navy, Marine Corps and community
facilities and resources.
No. The
two programs compliment each other very well.
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE)
program utilizes law enforcement officers as a
means to teach self-management and drug
resistance skills to 5th and 6th
graders during 17 one hour sessions in local
schools. DEFY will utilize military
instructors in a two week summer day camp
which involves nearly 40 hours of contact time
with youth. Both DARE and DEFY are similar in
that both employ a formal, pre-packaged
curriculum during their initial phases. DEFY
is different from DARE in its follow-up phase,
in which military role models are involved
with the youth throughout the following school
year. In fact, DARE is a wonderful in-road to
the DEFY program.
Navy
– Base Command Master Chief
Marine
Corps – Base Command Sergeant Major
That
will vary by site. Contact your local point of
contact.
Dates
vary throughout the summer for the different
sites. Your local point of contact will
have the most up-to-date information.
No.
With the high demand for this type of program
and the limited resources, unfortunately, we
must limit children to one pass through the
Phase I camp and Phase II mentoring process.
However, we strongly recommend
parents/guardians and children review the list
of youth
organizations provided in this site or by
the Program Coordinator to find a compatible
follow-on program for continued growth and
development.
There is
no cost to the parent/guardian for their child
to participate in any DEFY activities.
Each child receives a youth workbook, three
T-shirts, a ball cap, a backpack, and two
meals and snacks per day. Children are
required to wear tennis shoes because of
physical activities.
The DEFY
staff are all affiliated with the military in
some respect. They are primarily active
duty personnel, but also include reservists,
DoD civilians, DoD spouses, and retired
persons. They are all screened carefully
and go though a background check.
Every effort is made to accommodate
special needs children. |
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