NIDA for Teens: The Science Behind Drug Abuse
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ProclaimA proclamation is made when your governor, mayor, county executive, or state legislator designates that an event is official. For example, in 2010, NIDA held the first annual National Drug Facts Week, and many state and city officials proclaimed that it would be recognized as an official week-long event throughout the local community. A proclamation is a great way to spread the word!

For this activity, you can ask your mayor or governor to issue a specific proclamation for a Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Day.

Here's what you’ll need:

  • Template (provided below) to customize
  • Computer with Internet connection. Take a look around the PEERx Website for facts about prescription drug abuse.
  • Phone.

Here's how to do it:

  • It's best to start this process 6 to 8 weeks in advance and to enlist the help of an adult to act as your advisor.
  • Contact the communications or press office for your mayor or governor. You can find contact information for these public officials online. Ask what steps you need to take to get a proclamation issued. Tell the communications official your intentions in educating your community about prescription drug abuse by instituting a day-long or week-long observance.
  • Determine how your community can get involved. Set up an information table at your school with factsheets about prescription drug abuse (printed from this site). You can even recommend that your school register for National Drug Facts Week Chat Day. Customize a template (Sample Proclamation [Word - 25 kb]) with relevant statistics for your city or state. The proclamation should be written to include information on the importance of this event, as well as to emphasize the importance of peer-to-peer education, inquisitiveness, and the value of scientifically backed responses.
  • Send your proposed proclamation to the mayor or governor. Don't forget to mention how and why it's important to educate your community about such a serious problem.
  • If the mayor or governor seems unwilling to issue the proclamation, ask other officials in your community to lend their support and to encourage the mayor or governor to sign the proclamation.
  • Declare any day or week of your choice as Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Day or Week. Make sure to have the proclamation signed by your local government official. After the proclamation has been issued, thank your mayor or governor by inviting him or her to your event to present the proclamation publicly.
  • Send the proclamation to local television stations, and ask them to inform the community about the special event you are holding. If the mayor or governor has agreed to present the proclamation at your event, inform the media a few days in advance of the date, time, and place of this presentation, so they can be there.
  • After your event, don't forget to send thank-you letters to everyone who helped you out!

Send Us Feedback

Have you tried this activity in your school or community? Send us feedback by downloading our feedback form [Word - 212 kb], filling it out, saving it, and emailing it to peerx@iqsolutions.com.