IWAKUNI REVIVES DRUG AWARENESS PROGRAM

DEFY Program Opens With Weeklong Camp in July

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The Drug Education For
Youth program, which aims to help children in military families
develop positive and healthy life skills away from drugs, returns to
Iwakuni this year after a six-year hiatus.

The program differs from the 10-week school classroom-based DARE
program -- Drug Abuse Resistance Education -- in that it uses
volunteer community mentors and lasts for a year, said the new DEFY
coordinator, Sgt. Elizabeth Lopez.

Iwakuni had a DEFY program in the past but it died out in 2000. Base
leaders decided to relaunch it this year, starting with a weeklong
summer camp scheduled for July.

The program brings volunteer mentors to work with children aged 9-12
at the camp and then throughout the year, during monthly events
including field trips and meetings. "If the kids need help with
something they can call the mentor, if they need to talk or help with
their homework," Lopez said.

The summer camp will run July 17-21 at Tokuji, a Japanese camp two
hours from Iwakuni. There, with classroom training, organizers and
mentors will lead participants on hikes, an adventure course, trust
games and team-building exercises.

Components include dealing with peer pressure, identifying positive
qualities and strengths and weaknesses and of course avoiding drugs,
alcohol and tobacco. There's even a physical fitness component.

"That's definitely a big part of it," Lopez said. "But it's definitely
not like Marine Corps PT."

After completing DEFY, kids can return as junior mentors to the next
group. About 15 students had signed up by last week. The program can
accommodate 40. Lopez said.