Prevention Resource Center

Red Ribbon Week

Activities

In the Red Day: Designate a during the week for school staff and students to wear red in recognition of Red Ribbon week
Wish Upon a Star and Poster Contest: Encourage students to Create posters based on their Drug-Free World. Display all posters throughout the school during Red Ribbon Week. Place winning posters on a special bulletin board decorated with stars to highlight creative ideas expressed on posters.
Door Decorating Contest: Encourage all staff to have a door decorating contest to promote drug-free ideas during the month of October. Invite community volunteers to award a prizes to the most creative door decorations.
Student Assemblies: Invite community partners to share valuable information on drug prevention and what students can do to create drug-free schools.
Good Morning Announcement: Make morning announcements using quotes, poems, the history of Red Ribbon week or Other Drug Prevention Topics
Red Ribbon Centerpieces: Allow classes to create symbols and centerpieces that represent Red Ribbon Week by using a variety of materials including red ribbons. Decorate the tables in the school cafeteria and the teacher’s lounge to highlight students’ work.
Red Ribbon Fair: Plan a Health fair for the school and community to highlight and emphasize drug prevention during Red Ribbon Week. Invite community agencies and district staff to provide information booths and educational materials in various languages for families. Also include parent workshops and classes led by drug prevention leaders who can answer questions and share important information to promote drug-free families and schools.
Poetry/Essay Contest: Invite students to enter a poetry or essay contest prior to Red Ribbon Week. Announce rules and guidelines for participation and encourage students to share their entries with their teachers. Display student work on school bulletin boards and allow winners to read their entries during a student assembly or publish these in the school newsletter.
Red Ribbon Career Day Events: Invite community leaders, parents, or volunteers to share their careers and the choices they made to become or stay drug-free, their successes and challenges, and role models who made a difference in their decisions.
Magic Word for the Day: Create a word for the day highlighting drug prevention for Red Ribbon Week. Use a word daily and ask students to discuss the magic word at the beginning of their class each morning. (Examples: prevention, abuse, overdose, drugs, etc.)
For older students: create word search puzzles using key vocabulary to emphasize drug awareness.

Fact Sheet

WHAT IS RED RIBBON WEEK? It is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against substance abuse. Show your personal commitment to a drug-free lifestyle through the symbol of the Red Ribbon, Oct 23rd - 31st.
WHY? The Red Ribbon Campaign was started when drug traffickers in Mexico City murdered DEA agent Kiki Camarena in 1985. This began the continuing tradition of displaying Red Ribbons as a symbol of intolerance towards the use of drugs. The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment towards the creation of a DRUG-FREE AMERICA.
WHO? National Family Partnership is the sponsor of the National Red Ribbon Week Celebration. We are helping citizens across the state come together to keep children, families and communities safe, healthy and drug-free, through parent training, networking and sponsoring the National Red Ribbon Campaign.
WHY SUPPORT THE NATIONAL THEME? A theme unifies each year's campaign and helps to broadcast one message creating a tipping point to change behavior.
HOW? Plan a Red Ribbon celebration. Order materials Order and display Red Ribbon Materials with the National Red Ribbon Theme from the sale of Red Ribbon theme merchandise helps support prevention programs across America. Order for your family, students, staff, patients, employees and customers and encourage them to wear the red ribbon symbol during Red Ribbon Week, October 23rd - 31st.

Activities

Fact Sheet

Helpful Links

Forms