The Prescription Drug Safety Network is proud to be an official partner of the 2018 Red Ribbon Campaign®. Created by the National Family Partnership, a leading drug prevention education & advocacy nonprofit organization, Red Ribbon Week® (October 23-31) is an annual awareness campaign to promote drug prevention in our schools, workplaces and communities. Each year, more than 80 million young people and adults show their commitment to a healthy, drug-free lifestyle by wearing or displaying the red ribbon.
History of Red Ribbon Week
The 1985 kidnapping and murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena created public outrage in communities across the US. In response to his death, parents and youth began wearing red ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of destruction caused by drugs in America. In 1988, parent and community groups across the country began celebrating the campaign on a local level, leading to the first National Red Ribbon Week.
Today, the National Family Partnership’s Red Ribbon Week continues to honor Camarena’s legacy by serving as a fun and effective way to educate and inspire youth to make healthy decisions while mobilizing communities to promote healthy lifestyles. This year, we acknowledge the particular urgency around prescription drug abuse prevention and education as the number of opioid-related deaths in America continues to rise.
Our Partnership with Red Ribbon Week
In 2018, Red Ribbon Week will take place October 23-31, providing an opportunity for our partners, schools and communities to come together and promote healthy behaviors among youth. This year’s National Red Ribbon Week theme is “Life Is Your Journey. Travel Drug Free.™ As part of the 2018 national campaign, EVERFI is providing our teacher network with a comprehensive toolkit to help them reinforce lessons from the Prescription Drug Safety digital course during Red Ribbon Week.
Throughout the month of October, EVERFI’s school activation team will train hundreds of teachers who in turn will provide the Prescription Drug Safety course to thousands of students. All of this is made possible through the generous support of our Prescription Drug Safety Network partners, and we thank them for their deep dedication to building safe, healthy communities.
We’ll also be collecting and sharing stories from students around how Prescription Drug Safety has impacted their attitudes and behaviors. You can follow along on social media via the hashtag #RedRibbonNetwork.