The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and the Department of Education (DepEd) have collaborated to promote capacity building activities with the goal of enforcing appropriate measures against illegal substance abuse.
The alliance also enhances the DDB-DepEd partnership the opportunity to exchange views, ideas, best practices and action plans in the illegal drug campaign in schools and grassroot levels.
As part of the government’s initiative in addressing challenges related to drugs, the DepEd and the DDB convened youth leaders and other participants across the nation in the 4th National Barkada Kontra Droga (NBKD) Convention held from April 23 to27 in Iloilo City.
With the theme “Empathy in Action: Breaking the Barriers, Creating Safe Spaces,” the NBKD emphasized leadership, camaraderie, resilience against drug abuse, the unwavering commitment of young people to uphold a drug-free lifestyle and youth participation to champion Barkada Kontra Droga (BKD) programs in the local schools and communities.
The said convention promotes the significance of empathy as a catalyst for positive change, developing the necessary emotional and social toolkit to nurture empathy towards one another, and become a safe space in their own families, schools, and communities.
This year’s NBKD features a series of workshops and interactive sessions on “No Smoking and Alcohol Educational Campaigns; Socio-Emotional Learning; Children in Conflict with the Law; and School Sports Programs.’’
The NBKD event also features participants taking part in the activities related to “Risk and Protective Factors of Drug Use; Safe Spaces; Harnessing Peer Support; and Responsible Use of Social Media Platforms.’’
BKD is the joint flagship program of the DDB and DepEd, which is a preventive education and information program to counter the dangers of drug abuse, institutionalized through the DDB Board Regulation No. 5, Series of 2007 and DepEd Order No. 200, Series of 2016.