DALLAS— The 19th Annual Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) Summer Camp was held last week at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) in Fort Worth, Texas, where members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas (NDTX), members of the military and local law enforcement worked together to host the one-week residential camp for at-risk youth. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
U.S. Attorney Parker and Commander Joseph M. Seeburger of NAS JRB presented certificates to the 30 youth who attended this year’s DEFY summer camp at a graduation ceremony held Saturday morning, July 16, 2016, at NAS JRB. Camp attendees included at-risk youth from high crime and low income communities in west Dallas, Grand Prairie and Fort Worth, Texas.
DEFY is a year-long, comprehensive and multi-phase program that is part of the District’s Smart on Crime initiative. A Department of Justice initiative announced in 2013, Smart on Crime acknowledges that while aggressive enforcement of federal criminal statutes remains necessary, federal efforts must also focus on other components of criminal justice, such as crime prevention and reentry.
DEFY begins each year with the week-long, residential summer camp for selected at-risk youth, ages 9-12. At DEFY camp, the youth participate in a curriculum focused on healthy lifestyles to prevent drug abuse and gang involvement and resist negative peer pressure. To reinforce good practices learned at DEFY camp, DEFY continues throughout the year with classroom sessions, educational workshops and continued mentoring designed to provide the youth with additional life skills, training and tools to resist drugs and gangs.
The DEFY program is just another example of the partnerships that community groups and law enforcement undertake to build mutual trust and make our communities a safer place for all of us to live. More information about Smart on Crime may be found here
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