200 D.C. High School Students "Shatter The Myths" Around Substance Abuse In An Innovative, Proven Peer-To-Peer Program

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pertaining to the unprecedented opioid epidemic referenced as the worst drug crisis in American History, Mentor Foundation USA and partners will today between 9:30a.m.-2:30p.m., welcome two hundred D.C. high school students to a program at House of Sweden (2900 K Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007), where they will interact with top U.S. scientific experts and inspiring guest speakers to help "shatter the myths" around substance abuse, and pledge to stay drug-free.

"Shatter the Myths" is held in observance of National Drug Facts Week (NDFW), and is hosted by Mentor Foundation USA, in partnership with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and Embassy of Sweden. The program, which is rapidly expanding across the U.S. is designed to dispel the myths surrounding drug abuse and provide youth a platform to speak up and out against drugs.

Special guest speakers include Sweden's Ambassador to the U.S. Björn Lyrvall, Ms. June S. Sivilli, Division Chief, Division of Public Health and Public Safety at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Dr. Lonise Bias, mother to the late Len Bias.

During the day, students will have the opportunity to get their questions answered by leading NIDA scientists and also participate in poetry slam workshops where they are able to express their own feelings around substance abuse. "By focusing on their own innate talents and strengths, and by using a peer-to-peer approach, young people can become their own biggest advocates for staying drug–free." says Gunilla Girardo, President and CEO of Mentor Foundation USA.

In conjunction with the "Shatter the Myths", Mentor Foundation USA will announce this year's winner of its national "Living the Example" video contest, where students across the country submit their own videos explaining how they are "living the example" and staying drug-free.

Since Mentor Foundation USA launched its Shatter the Myths program in 2011, the program has reached more than 15,000 high school students in several states across the U.S.    

About Mentor Foundation USA is an affiliate of Mentor International, which was founded in 1994 by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden and the World Health Organization and is the largest network of its kind for evidence based programs that prevent drug abuse among youth and help them realize their potential. Collectively, we have implemented projects in over 80 countries impacting more than 6 million lives.  Mentor Foundation USA is a Delaware registered 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.

Contact: Michaela Pratt: (202) 536-1594, [email protected]

SOURCE Mentor Foundation USA