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A Future without drugs
On the 15th of April 2000 the "Future without drugs" festival was held in the Northeast district of Moscow. HOPE worldwide - Moscow initiated it in order to get vital information about the dangers of drug abuse to the people of Moscow.
 The main purpose of the event was to distribute booklets with information about the danger of drugs and how to deal with critical addiction. Drug addiction is a very terrifying worldwide problem. One of the ways to solve the problem is to inform people opportunely about narcotics as well as providing information on rehabilitation to those who are already addicted. According to sociology statistics 48% of people informed about the dangers of drug addiction abstain from using drugs.
On the day of the festival almost 1500 volunteers from HOPE worldwide - Moscow spread 90 000 booklets among the teenagers and their parents. There were 3 types of brochures printed in groups of 30 000 units. A bright orange-green booklet was targeted towards teenagers. It included information about drugs and the terrible consequences of drug abuse. The other two brochures were for parents. One of them explained how to figure out whether a child is having problems related to drug use, and if so how get help for the child. The second booklet offered advice on how to educate ones children on the dangers of drugs.
 The festival started at 11:30 on the square of the All-Russian Exhibition Center (AEC) with speeches given by Shawn Wooten, president of HOPE worldwide - Moscow, and Krutov Aleksandr Nikolaevich, Deputy to the Chairman of Moscow City Duma. At about 12 o'clock volunteers in groups of 6-7 people with 480 booklets per group went to the schools of the district and distributed them to the children. The booklets for the parents were left at the schools to be distributed at their convenience. Later that afternoon the volunteers returned to the square for a show. Performances by Christian Ray and the rap-band "Cash bros." provided spectacular entertainment. Citizens of Moscow mingled with the volunteers to create a great atmosphere.
Moscow radio station "Hope" was the information sponsor of the event. That gave a possibility to address to all Moscow citizens, using resources of Mass Media.
There were also many orphans from orphanages supported by Hope worldwide - Moscow in the audience. It was impressive to see the orphans pay a lot of attention to the information given to them. The overall favorable reaction from the public to the festival demonstrated that these kinds of projects can be very effective in society today and that if people care enough to try and do something about a problem, more often than not this brings about positive results. We believe that projects of this nature can bring about considerable changes.
 
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