VIPD Weed and Seed Defy Program Brings Youth To Cinnamon Bay Drug Education Camp

 

Ninety Virgin Islands youth attended the annual Weed and Seed Camp.

ST. JOHN — Almost 100 youth attended the annual Drug Education For Youth and Underage Drinking Prevention Camp on August 16 – 21, 2015 in St. John, Virgin Islands sponsored by the Virgin Islands Police Department Weed and Seed Program and other Law Enforcement agencies.

The VIPD Weed and Seed Program in the St. Thomas District in conjunction with the US Attorney’s Office, the Virgin Islands National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, Law Enforcement Planning Commission, Project Safe Neighborhoods V.I. and the Department of Human Services conducted the yearly Drug Education for Youth and Underage Drinking Prevention Camp in St. John.

The VIPD Weed and Seed Program is one of the prevention/intervention programs offered by the Virgin Islands Police Department’s, Crime Prevention Bureau.  The VIPD continues to work within various neighborhoods territory – wide to assist parents and children in addressing the various issues that plague our community.

90 Young Participants
On August 16, ninety (90) young participants ranging from nine to sixteen years old attended the week long camp.  The youngsters learned about anti-drug education, underage drinking, building gang resistance, leadership, team-building, conflict resolution, goal-setting, self-esteem development and peer leadership.

In addition to the classroom exercises, the participants also took part in outdoor-exercises to include a bonfire, hiking, kayaking/snorkeling, community cleanup efforts and daily physical fitness.

The Weed and Seed DEFY Program is a youth outreach program intended to utilize role models – military personnel, law enforcement officers and community leaders – to promote positive life choices, including drugs, alcohol, gangs and gun resistance.  DEFY is a National Program being utilized throughout the United States that is geared towards improving the quality of life in designated neighborhoods.

The Weed and Seed Program invites children living within the St. Thomas/St. John District to participate in this educational program.

For more information on how you can be a part of this Program and/or become a mentor for one of the participants, you can contact Jacqueline Freeman, Weed and Seed Program Manager for the St. Thomas/St. John District at 340-344-4516 or 340-776-1525.

The project is supported by a grant from the Law Enforcement Planning Commission, awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice.