THREE young Guyanese are participating in the first Caribbean Youth Forum on Drug Use Prevention (October 21-25, 2019) in Barbados.

There, the team of youths, active in the field of drug and alcohol prevention, will join representatives from twelve other English-speaking Caribbean member states.
The Youth Forum on Drug Use Prevention is a collaborative initiative hosted by the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (ES/CICAD) of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) and the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Program, with the support from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the United States Department of State.
The main focus of the forum is to promote youth leadership in drug demand reduction by developing youth-led initiatives.

Team Leader, Hamraj Narine, and team members Jahleel Young and Romichelle Brumell are ecstatic and focused on making waves at the forum. Campaigning under the name GuyYAD, meaning Guyanese Youths Against Drugs, their aim, upon return, is to foster an initiative in a vulnerable community that will provide children, between the ages of 11 and 15 years, with safe spaces to play and learn.

The goal is to teach life skills, through sports and edutainment, in innovative and motivating after-school programs, to reduce crime and drug-use while building strong community values. The team and its initiative are being strongly supported by the National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA) and additional support is anticipated as the project continues.