Sofia, June 25 (BTA) - Over 100 pupils and students serve as
ambassadors and mediators with the Drug Addiction Prevention and
 Information Centre in Sofia, which is two-fold more compared to
 their number in 2019, the Centre said Thursday. With the help
of these volunteers, the Centre will organize various
initiatives to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and
 Illicit Trafficking, June 26.

Thanks to the trust of their peers, the volunteers can influence
 positively their attitudes towards experimenting with alcohol,
cigarettes, and drugs. The peer-to-peer model has been
acknowledged as effective across the globe, because it removes
the barriers between 'experts' and teens and leaves the creative
 approaches to communication, the Centre explained.
  
Among the initiatives planned by the Centre are: a visit to the
St Petka monastery, where the young people will donate necessity
 goods to people in need; a children's summer academy; training
for parents; and consultations for pupils, students and their
families. Also, the Consultation Day Centre for Children, Youth,
 and Parents with the Prevention and Information Centre will
host meetings with students under the programme "Indicative
Prevention for Pupils, Students, and Youth Experimenting or
Using Psychoactive Substances". The participants will try on
special simulation goggles that recreate the effect of alcohol
consumption on the senses.

NV/DS