Kids Against Drugs Newsletter:
Empowering Kids to be Kids Against Drugs Issue #3.2
Change of Focus, Expanded Web Site, New Stuff – Part 2
Michael J. Meredith (Mick) Publisher
February 3, 2003
Dear,
Thank you for being one of 1175 subscribers in 17 countries to our e-zine. Welcome to the 95 new subscribers since our last issue. This is the general newsletter of the Kids Against Drugs Campaign for Drug-Free Families. You may have been subscribed by a friend or family member and will receive it every other week or so. If for some reason you wish to unsubscribe you may do so at any time. Instructions to unsubscribe are at the end of this newsletter.
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A NOTE TO TEEN SUBSCRIBERS: This is a great newsletter for your parents and grandparents to have. Please forward this on to them.
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Think About This:
"When we don't teach children the truth about drugs and proclaim strong anti-drug messages in our homes and communities a terrible thing happens . . . our kids get hooked on drugs."
Michael J. Meredith, Founder 1989
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I am continuing to launch an aggressive promotion to let the world know about my program. There are several things I am doing to find interested adults, invite them to the web site, teach them about drugs and abuse and then motivate them to purchase and use my unique life-saving “Kids Against Drugs Family Action Training Plan”. This issue and subsequent issues will bring and keep you up-to-date. This is part 2 in the series.
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Main Article: Change of Focus, Expanded Web Site, New Stuff – Part 2
Thanks for reading this newsletter. This is part 2 of the series describing the “Kids Against Drugs Campaign for Drug-Free Families”. Last time we described the Kids Against Drugs Web Site. This issue will present the Parent Guidebook the “Kids Against Drugs Family Action Training Plan”. Let me give you a little background first.
In 1982 I developed the booklet the “Identi-Child” in response to a multiple kidnapping spree happening to the community in which my family and I were living. My reason being I was basically a “paranoid daddy” and wanted to “do something” to protect my children from the kidnapper.
In January of 1983 the “Identi-Child” was featured on the TV program “Good Morning America” and I became an overnight celebrity. This led to my crisscrossing the country for four years giving workshops about child self-protection at churches, schools and parent groups. I have had numerous requests to write a parent guide that could be used in the home. The “Family Action Training Plan” is the result. The “Kids Against Drugs” volume is the first volume of the three-volume plan. The other two volumes will be released later this year.
The “Kids Against Drugs Family Action Training Plan” (the “Plan”) is a unique 149-page drug-prevention parent guidebook. Its format is ideal for parents or the older children to use to lead their family in several carefully designed and scripted discussions about the family and recreational drugs. It is easy-to-read and understand. It is illustrated and contains seven discussion outlines and script, assignments for study and reporting, resources in the manual and links to the Internet, descriptions of the various drugs and their effects, the updated and expanded “Identi-Child ID kit and it also includes certificates and other visual aids.
The discussion leader is guided step-by-step from discussion preparation, through the discussion presentation and during the follow-up. Careful planning on the presenter’s part is a must but I have included suggestions and sources for study. The presenter is also encouraged to find current news items and videos about the various drug issues, which are available on the Internet, the newspaper and in local libraries. In each discussion, the next meetings assignments for study and report are given to various family members.
Several activities are encouraged including fingerprinting and picture taking, note taking and interviews with extended family members, field trips to the library, cemetery, police department and jail, a visit to a drug treatment center and an emergency room at the hospital. These first hand experiences are for reinforcement of the various subjects being talked about throughout the discussions.
To view full page excerpts from the “Kids Against Drugs Family Action Training Plan” go to http://www.kidsagainstdrugs.com/excerpts.htm. I have included the table of contents and 10 other complete pages from the manual for review.
Every family who enrolls into the “Kids Against Drugs Family Action Training” will automatically be subscribed to our ongoing “Family Update” E-zine. Once a month for twelve months, two new up-to-date discussion plans with support information and resources will automatically be sent to them. This encourages vital ongoing use of these materials to be a support to reinforcing the initial family council meetings. These new discussions will naturally fit into the discussion plan. This will be sent only to those families who purchase their “Plan”. This encourages each family to purchase their own “Plan” so they can receive the ongoing updates.
The desired result of a family using the “Plan” would be a family whose members have each chosen to be drug-free, because by participating they have developed a solid foundation of the facts about drugs and the consequences of their use. Another positive result is the bonding that happens between participating family members. This type of ongoing family activity creates powerful bonding experiences that won’t happen any other way. This results in tremendous support from each family member for every other family member.
When a family has this type of powerful experience and learns these vital life-saving skills and information then it becomes easy for the individual members to “just say no to drugs” with power and conviction.
In the next issue of this newsletter I will describe the “Campaign for Drug-Free Families” and explain how it came about and why it’s an important part of this whole program. In following issues I will highlight the newsletter and its purpose and future and the other things we do that are important to the Campaign. Plus we will have our regular features and guest articles. So check your e-mail box in the next few days for part 3.
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Advertisement: Talk to your kids about drugs! Introducing a NEW, unique program for parents to use to learn about and then talk with their kids about the recreational drug issue. To learn all about this and why you should use this program go to http://www.kidsagainstdrugs.com/call2action.htm.
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To Think About:
“Certain rights can never be granted to the government but must be kept in the hands of the people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Parents bring children into the world, to nurture, care for and raise them to adulthood. What a great gift from God! The hopes, expectations and dreams parents have for their children are many and varied. As the child grows these hopes and dreams are sometimes modified because of circumstances.
What never changes is the fact that parents have the responsibility to give their children the basic foundations in life. An honorable value system, language, protection, peace, training and education, nourishment and a healthy lifestyle just to name a few. It is when one turns over to a government these ‘rights’ that they give away that freedom that is so precious.
Today it has become popular for the government to “do everything for us”. I remember the old joke from the early 70’s where the adult live together ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’ are discussing and planning the days’ activities. These include the ‘girlfriend’ going and standing in line for food stamps and then running over and standing in line for unemployment reporting and picking up the check. The ‘boyfriend’ would be going to the ‘free clinic’ to get shots and then down to the corner to pick up a couple of ‘joints’ they could enjoy later that evening while they were at the anti-war rally.
Now days the kids get a ‘free’ breakfast and lunch at school, food stamps come on a debit card, kids get ‘free’ abortions, schools have armed police patrolling the yards and hallways, latchkey kids roam the streets, malls and convenience stores after school only spending a few minutes in the evening saying hi to their working parent(s). And the list goes on and on. It seems as if very few parents are taking any responsibility for their child’s actions and lifestyles.
Well, it’s time for a wake up call. Drugs are ruining young lives and the rise in drug use, abuse and addiction is at an alarming rate. The number one reason kids try drugs is because of ‘peer pressure’. Parents have to step in and take charge to protect their children from the terrible life-style of drug use.
The number one effective method of drug-prevention is parent-child discussions. These serious and open discussions are powerful and beneficial to both the child and parent. The problem facing most parents is, ‘what does a parent say so the child will give credence to what is being said’. I suggest that the “Kids Against Drugs, Family Action Training Plan” is the perfect tool for parents to use to guide these important life-saving discussions.
I can assure you that the “Family Action Training Plan” is a well planned, researched and organized parent guidebook with which one can present a plan-of-action that is parent friendly, easy-to-use, and understand. It is what every parent needs today (single or married), to talk with their kids at home about the hot issue of drug use and abuse. The government is doing its stuff to stop the supply, find, prosecute and jail the pushers and distributors and run anti-drug messages and education programs but it has little effect if parents don’t fulfill their responsibility to teach their kids at home about refusing drugs.
Parents have to stand up and take action to preserve their right to care for and teach their own children. The drug use situation is just one example of parents turning over their kids to the government for care and instruction. If this trend continues I predict that the time is not far away when the parent will loose all rights to their child from the day the child is born. What a terrible tragedy this would be to our ‘free society’ if our children become wards of the state at birth.
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New Stuff:
I’ve finally finished the Newsletter archive. This contains all of my past newsletters and will be updated at each new issue. You can visit this valuable resource at http://www.kidsagainstdrugs.com/newsletter_archives.htm.
You can find all of these and many other sections and pages that are published on the web site by visiting the web sites site directory which can be found at http://www.kidsagainstdrugs.com/site_directory.htm.
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A call to Action:
Pretty interesting isn't it? I’ve spent 4 years crafting, writing, testing and working hard to have a great web site to showcase my outstanding “Kids Against Drugs Family Action Training Plan”. I hope you’ll take the time to check it all out. I’m excited to hear your comments.
If this works the way I think it will it won't be long before we have thousands of people using the “Family Action Training Plan” in their homes and showing their kids how to choose to be Drug-Free. If you haven't purchased your copy I would urge you to do so now. You can join us and get your copy at: Our Web Page. It is really worth it for a whole lot of reasons including your child's future.
Edmund Burke, the 18th century philosopher, said: “All it takes for evil to accomplish its purposes, is for good men (and women) to do nothing.” It’s now up to you to take action and become one of Gods Warriors’ in the fight to protect children from drugs.
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Guest Article:
THOSE YOU
TOUCH...YOU CHANGE
By Steve Goodier © 2003
Did you know that your money likely has traces of cocaine on it?
A study by Jack
Demirgian of the Argonne National Laboratory revealed
that a full 78% of the currency circulating in Miami and other major
US cities carries trace amounts of cocaine.
They were only
looking for cocaine, but I wonder what else might be
found on the bills? Fast-food products, no doubt, such as French-fry
grease, mustard, soft drink residue and coffee. And how about rouge or
lipstick from purses and lint from pockets? I've seen everything from
ink to oil on money that has come my way, and more indistinguishable
stains than I care to remember.
And if they
look closely enough, they can even tell something about
where that money has been! To the store. To the beach. Even hidden
beneath a mattress.
Just about
anything that comes into contact with money leaves a bit of
itself behind. Then, when the bills rub up against each other in a
wallet or billfold, they share contaminates. Everything the bills
touch is changed, however slightly.
So it is with
us. Everybody you and I speak to, rub shoulders with or
even smile at...is changed. These changes can be helpful or hurtful,
depending on our interaction. And even little changes can make a
difference. NO ONE is insignificant in this regard.
Bette Reeves
said, "If you think you are too small to be effective,
you have never been in bed with a mosquito." I will surely affect
everybody I encounter - one way or another. And they will affect me. I
will leave a bit of myself behind, and take a little piece of them
with me. Everybody.
There is
something awe-inspiring about the influence we have on one
another. In your daily contacts, what will you leave behind, and what
will you take with you?
Steve Goodier
Publisher@LifeSupportSystem.com is a professional
speaker, consultant and author of numerous books. Visit his site for
more information, or to sign up for his FREE newsletter of Life, Love
and Laughter at http://LifeSupportSystem.com.
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If you have any suggestions or want to contribute articles and stories, please submit them to us by sending e-mail to: Our Address.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE: In order for us to spread our message to the world we are doing a couple of things here. First we are asking you to forward this e-zine (don't spam) to someone you know who you think would be interested in receiving it. With this issue we have 1175 subscribers and if everyone sent it to ten others we would increase our mailing list very fast. Second we have our own affiliate program, which you can join for free. Just go to our web page and click on “Become an affiliate today!”
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: We are currently scheduling seminars. If you would like to sponsor a seminar for a group in your area please contact me and let's talk. Send an E-mail to me subject: seminar?
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20 years ago I took on the challenge to find and do something about stopping recreational drug-use. I have learned much along the way. It has been exciting and a challenge. I ask you to join me in the “Campaign for Drug-Free Families” and become a Parent Against Drugs? Will you share this great program with your family, especially your kids? I believe the best protection from personable drug-pushing terrorists is a well-prepared Kid Against Drugs. Being part of the “Kids Against Drugs Campaign for Drug-Free Families” will give you the tools and support to your kid to be a Kid Against Drugs.
Thank you for subscribing and I welcome you. I promise I will use every tool and my total effort to make this e-zine a valuable and informative publication.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Meredith, Publisher.
America's Drug Prevention Network, Inc.
My E-mail Address
If you received this e-zine as a forward from a friend and would like to subscribe go to http://www.kidsagainstdrugs.com/subscribe2.htm and you will be able to subscribe.