News

DEFY Camp empowers Team Dover youth

  • Published
  • By Susan E. Walls
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  From academic lessons on drug-resistance and decision making, to C-5 and control tower tours, 35 Dover Air Force Base children participated in this year's Drug Education for Youth Camp.

The children were treated to a wide variety of activities over the seven-day Phase 1 portion of the program.

Open to all DoD family members, the Phase 1 portion of the summer-leadership camp focuses on children during a critical point in their childhood - preadolescence, ages 9 - 12.

Throughout the seven-day course, the children had a full schedule to carry, as they participated in a variety of activities, including workbook academics.

Field trips included visits to the City of Dover Police Department, a local radio station and a trip to the base control tower and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

The program is in its fifth year at Dover AFB and DEFY has been going strong DoD-wide for more than a decade.

Established in 1993 by the Department of the Navy's Drug Demand Reduction Task Force, DEFY is fully integrated with the President's National Drug Control Strategy, and fully funded through the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

DEFY is the cornerstone program for drug-demand reduction for servicemembers' children and adult mentoring involvement. It provides drug education, conflict resolution, team building exercises and leadership development skills.

"We had the greatest group of kids this year," said Stephanie Harrison, Dover AFB's program coordinator.

However, she was quick to recognize and pay tribute to the caliber of volunteers that stepped up to the plate this year as well.

"We couldn't offer this program if it weren't for our volunteers, plain and simple," she said. "We had almost 20 adult volunteers and mentors that offered to help with the program - most are active-duty military members who took the time away from their jobs and families to support this cause. We all strongly believe that the intensive Phase 1 approach is the most effective way to initially influence positive attitudes in our youth."

The dual-phased program matches a camper with a mentor for Phase II of the year-long follow-up process. During that time, the entire group meets monthly for a variety of events and workshops. The mentors stay involved in the children's lives and check on them frequently. They monitor their after-school activities and check on their schoolwork and grades.

Tech. Sgt. RJ Popio, 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron, wanted to become involved in the DEFY Program because of his oldest son, Christian.

"He participated in Phase 1 last year and really learned a lot," said the sergeant. "Since he wasn't involved in any other youth-type group, I personally missed out on the whole mentoring aspect of our interaction. I wanted to help make a positive impact on these kids, while they're still at an impressionable age."

There is no cost to the children involved in the DEFY program.

"All activities, meals, t-shirts and other supplies are provided to the kids - free of charge," said Tech. Sgt. Carla Aldridge, 436th LRS and administrator of Dover's DEFY program.

"We got to do a lot of cool things," said Adrielle Green, an 11-year-old in the program this year. "I especially liked working on our Jamaica cultural project with my teammates. It was fun to work together - I got to talk about the clothing they wear."

While the program targets children, it's apparent that the program also benefits the mentors. They can see the difference their time and effort has made in the life of a child and that their efforts have equipped the children with a variety of skills to point them in the right direction toward healthy and successful lives.