ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — National Red Ribbon Week is a staple in late October.
The theme this year for National Red Ribbon Week is "Life is a Movie, Film Drug Free."
On Monday, Ector County ISD (ECISD) celebrated the kickoff to a week focused on helping the youth make healthy choices.
The week is about education and awareness of the dangers of alcohol and drug use, as well as preventing substance abuse.
It serves as an opportunity to highlight efforts and to encourage conversation.
“Today’s drugs are so different than just drugs five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago," said Mellessa Brenem, director of Youth Prevention Programs at the Permian Basin Regional Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
In 2024, Red Ribbon Week might be more important than ever.
“Now the conversation is -- if you take a pill that you don’t know where it came from, you’re probably going to die – like that’s the conversation we’re having with kids these days, and it’s very tragic," Brenem said.
Fentanyl is the number one killer nationally for ages 18 to 24, according to Brenem.
“Dancing with danger, social media plays a factor in it, accessibility is one of the biggest problems that we have because anybody can get it – illicit drugs or alcohol even, tobacco," Brenem said.
Brenem said in the region, it starts at a pretty young age.
“Our data shows us that young people in Odessa/Midland/Permian Basin area are using alcohol at about 12.7 years of age, tobacco or vaping about the same 12.7 and marijuana about 13.4," Brenem said.
ECISD is committed to helping its students.
“To educate students on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, but also how to prevent them becoming addicted to certain substances or making poor choices," said Taylor Roy, executive director of Guidance Counseling and Wellness at ECISD. "But then we also want to provide them with a sense of hope and to know what to do when they need help and to provide some support to them, so they know that they aren’t alone and that they have resources available to them through our schools -- like with their counselors, their teachers [and] other people in their community as well.”
As the conversation enters the spotlight during the week of Oct. 28, its important to be asking the right questions.
“When you’re faced with a decision to use a substance, what’s going to make you say ‘yes’?," Brenem said. "Because that’s where you focus your efforts and start from there – 'how can I be better here?'”
Brenem said they will be doing 40 presentations reaching about 27,000 young people on this important topic.
She added that the doors are open for the community and families to have these conversations.