Plan Your Event

Choose Your Topic

Interested in a drug-specific event? NIDA has several toolkits for events or promotional activities that are specific to the following themes: alcohol, college-aged and young adults, drugged driving, marijuana, MDMA, opioids and other prescription drugs, teens in the juvenile justice system, tobacco nicotine, & e-cigarettes, new psychoactive substances (synthetics) and a video toolkit, which includes a teen-friendly video showing parts of the brain and their functions. We also have a general NDAFW toolkit available in Spanish.

Location! Location! Location!

• Identify your teen audience and the location. An NDAFW event or promotional activity can be hosted any place in your community where teens are, such as:
  • Schools, afterschool programs, community/recreation centers, churches, synagogues, mosques, or other places of worship.
  • Donated space from theaters or other privately held meeting spaces.
  • Through your state or local health department.

• Get permission to hold the event. Be sure to check with the location’s leadership and see if there are permission forms or other requirements you need to complete. Be sure to ask who your point of contact is to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Fun and Educational Events

• Determine what type of event will work best for your space and your audience. NIDA offers a list of great Activities to choose from, or you can work with your team to create an event that works best for your school or community.

A Safe Environment for Teens To Ask Questions

If your NDAFW event will involve teens asking questions in a public forum, NIDA encourages you to read this statement on privacy ground rules at the start of your event:

“We are very interested in what you have to say and encourage you to talk freely about drugs and drug abuse. Your privacy is also very important to us. This event should provide a safe and supportive environment. We pledge to you and each other to respect the comments and privacy of others.

In order to keep a safe environment for sharing information, we’ve set up the following ground rules:

1. Treat everyone with respect and fairness.
2. Avoid using real names, addresses, telephone numbers, etc.
3. Do not repeat or share personal information you hear at this event.”

EVENT TIP: Have a plan in place for appropriate intervention if a teen reveals a potentially harmful personal situation.

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All NDAFW events must use science-based information to make sure the participants get the facts about drugs and drug abuse.

Use at Least One of These Scientific Sources 

• NIDA Materials

  Check out our Order Free Materials section for science-based educational publications. These materials are a great way to prepare students before the event, to hand out at the event, or to use for posters to decorate your event. NIDA also offers many online resources about drugs and drug abuse.

  

  EVENT TIP: See our Teaching Guide for recommendations on how to engage teens and encourage them to learn more.

• NIDA Web-Interactive Events

  Use these fun and educational web interactives with individuals or as part of an event utilizing a large screen for group participation.

  • National Drugs & Alcohol IQ Challenge
    Test their knowledge! Every year NIDA uses the latest science to create an interactive quiz that challenges what students know and helps SHATTER THE MYTHS^® around drugs and drug use.
  • Drugs & Your Body: It Isn’t Pretty
    Developed in partnership with Scholastic Inc., this experience will ‘show’ students the ugly truth about how drug abuse can damage to their body. From acne to addiction to disease and death, this interactive features animations, audio clips, and videos that will engage and educate.
     
• A Scientific Expert

  Bring your event to the next level. To help answer teens’ questions, find a local expert with a professional background in the science of drugs or drug abuse. Here are a few great resources in your community:

  • Local Colleges and Universities. Go to your local university’s website to find people in departments—like psychology, psychiatry, or neurology—that might be interested in working with you. Explain about NDAFW and see if a professor, researcher, or graduate student with a background in addiction science would be willing volunteer.
     
  • Local Hospitals or Pharmacies. For area hospitals, call the main hospital number and ask to be linked to the psychiatry or mental health department. They may be able to link you with an expert who treats people with substance use disorders. For pharmacies, go to your local pharmacist and explain your event and see if they or a colleague can volunteer an hour of their time to attend.
     
  • Local Health Departments. Check out your state or local health department website. Most have programs that focus on teens or drug abuse prevention. They can work with you to find a person or other resources to help bring the science to your event.

Brush up on Your Drug Facts Knowledge

Drug abuse is an evolving field. Take some time to brush up on your knowledge of drugs and their consequences before your event. Here are a few of NIDA’s resources to get you started, or explore the NIDA website.

• Get the facts about the most commonly abused drugs. Learn how using drugs, even just once, can affect your body and your mind.
• Read Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction.
• Learn the latest about marijuana, including harms and potential medical uses.
• Check out common questions teens are asking and what scientists say in response.
• Take the National Drugs & Alcohol IQ Challenge to test your knowledge of drugs and drug abuse.

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