THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) facilitated a drug awareness session with the National U-20 squad as the players prepare to travel to Florida, USA for the CONCACAF U-20 Men’s Championship from November 1 to 22.

The session, titled “Benefits of dissing illicit narcotics”, was facilitated by the Customs Anti- Narcotic Unit (CANU) on October 13 at the National Library’s conference room.

Leading the discussion were CANU’s Legal Officer Konya Sandiford and Senior Manager Rayon Samuels, who explained key aspects of the law highlighting the concepts of “possession” and “trafficking,” and the corresponding penalties.

The interactive session also saw CANU officials share tactics used by traffickers to lure potential mules, methods of concealment and the benefits of “dissing” the narcotic trade. Press stories and practical examples were shared with the eager participants.

Prior the CANU presentation, GFF president Wayne Forde and first vice-president Brigadier (Ret’d.) Bruce Lovell, offered words of encouragement to the group. Forde urged the youth to embrace a positive lifestyle and be good ambassadors of the sport while Lovell’s presentation titled, “Understanding Your D.A.D (Discipline, Attitude and Dedication)” went into detail about the three areas of focus and their impact on the positive development of the person.

Among the thoughts he encouraged them to remember was: “If it is to be, it starts with me”. In wrapping up, Team Manager Daniel Thomas expressed appreciation to the speakers for their presentations and urged the national team members to activate the positive messages conveyed during the meeting in every aspect of their life.

Present at the event was CANU’s Deputy Head Leslie Ramlall and members of the technical staff. The National U-20 team’s match schedule in the first round will see them face Guatemala on November 2. On November 6 they will come up against the Cayman Islands, while on November 8 and 10, the Guyanese men will play Curacao and El Salvador respectively.