The Aruba Anti-Drug Foundation (FADA) has officially launched the third edition of Red Ribbon Week, an awareness campaign taking place from October 26 to 30. Rulienne Arends, a prevention worker at FADA, expressed the organization’s pride in bringing the initiative back to the Aruban community.
This year’s program includes a few small but meaningful changes. According to Arends, these were introduced in response to feedback and requests from community members who wanted something new and different. The official poster has already been published on FADA’s Facebook page, where the full schedule and details of the awareness week are available.
This year’s campaign highlights how everyone can be a hero in their community by choosing a drug-free life. The schedule of activities is as follows:
- Monday, October 26 – Wear Red Day: As in previous years, the week begins with an invitation for everyone to wear something red, whether an accessory, jeans, a shirt, or pants, to represent unity and a firm stand against drugs.
- Tuesday, October 27 – Discover Your Superpower: One of this year’s new activities invites participants to discover and share their superpower. They can create a card or poster, or write directly on a T-shirt what their superpower is. Examples include “I say no to drugs,” “I make room for others,” and “I help others.”
- Wednesday, October 28 – Heroes Help Heroes: The focus is on showing how one hero can help another. Participants can write messages on paper, posters, or T-shirts, such as “I help someone stay healthy” or “I make sure my friends and I stay drug-free.”
- Thursday, October 29 – Human Symbol: Another new activity invites schools and families to form a symbol together using their bodies. They can get creative by forming a heart, the ribbon representing Red Ribbon Week, or a peace sign.
- Friday, October 30 – Favorite Superhero: To close the week, everyone is invited to dress as their favorite superhero, whether an existing character or one they have created themselves.
FADA invites all schools, families, and the wider community to participate and support the cause. Participants can take a photo and upload it to the official website, www.fada.aw, by clicking on the Red Ribbon Week poster, filling in the required information, and uploading their photo. Everyone who submits a photo will be entered into a raffle to win prizes at the end of the campaign.
