The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) teamed up with education professionals, program implementers and other stakeholders to further improve the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign for the out-of-school youth (OSY) and children in street situations (CISS).
In a statement, the DDB said the group participated in the Special Drugs Education Center (SDEC) program where plans, implementation successes and areas for improvement were tackled in a bid to “shape future directions for the SDEC in preventing drug abuse among out-of-school youth (OSY) and children in street situations (CISS) during the “Policy and Research Forum Series on Drug Abuse Prevention and Control for the 2nd Quarter.’’
Kevin Bumagat, policy forum presenter from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), emphasized that the SDEC aims to implement comprehensive drug abuse prevention programs.
He stated that the objectives of the SDEC include educating on the harmful effects of substance abuse and empowering OSY, CISS and their families to manage vulnerability to drug and substance abuse.
Bumagat added that SDEC advocates for local legislation and policies supporting its initiatives, established strong linkages among key sectors and maintains data systems of the target beneficiaries for effective implementation.
During the research forum, Ariane Joy Coronel from the National Youth Commission (NYC) provided an insightful analysis of SDEC’s effectiveness, outlining its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges.
Coronel’s presentation integrated the perspectives from stakeholders and implementing units, offering a thorough evaluation of the policy’s impact.