NCJ Number
204810
Date Published
2003
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This report identifies and answers frequently asked questions about the Federal Weed and Seed program's Drug Education for Youth (DEFY).
Abstract
The first question answered is, "What is DEFY?" It is a comprehensive and multiphased drug prevention program for youth ages 9 to 12. It is designed to deter at-risk behavior by giving youth the tools to resist drugs, gangs, and alcohol. Specific objectives are to develop relationships between youth and positive adult role models, to deliver life-skills training, and to deter drug use and gang involvement. Each summer, DEFY sponsors a summer training camp program (DEFY Phase 1) that lasts for 5 to 8 days. Phase II is a school-year mentoring program that reinforces the training and education received in Phase 1. Another question pertains to the requirements for becoming a DEFY site. First, the prospective site must obtain a commitment from a military partner, since DEFY was developed by and operates under the auspices of the Department of the Navy's Drug Demand Reduction Task Force. Since its beginning under Weed and Seed in 1996, it has operated under a memorandum of understanding between the Navy Department and the U.S. Department of Justice. A prospective DEFY site must coordinate a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. Attorney's Office in the site's jurisdiction and the military partner. Other requirements are to attend a spring DEFY workshop, secure a camp facility, and create a budget proposal. The Justice Department's Executive Office of Weed and Seed considers only applications from officially recognized Weed and Seed sites applying for their first DEFY program, applications from sites that have submitted their previous year's DEFY Phase I final report and Phase II Quarterly reports, and applications submitted by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Other questions relate to reasons for targeting youth ages 9 to 12; details of the DEFY phases; differences between residential and nonresidential summer training camp programs; how DEFY differs from other prevention programs; funding; and details of the program's structure, operation, and reporting.