Students Learn Drug Resiliency and Life Skills through DEFY Program

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Emily Rookstool | Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) participants perform colors with Sailors at Naval Computer Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic (NCTAMS LANT).  

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

07.30.2019

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Emily Rookstool 

Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station - Atlantic

NORFOLK, Va. –The Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic (NCTAMS LANT)-sponsored Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) Program, which provides education, skills building, and positive experiences so that the participants can choose healthy alternatives instead of substance abuse and gang involvement, was held onboard Naval Station Norfolk beginning July 15, 2019.

Thirty-four students, ages 9-12 years old, were mentored by 17 Sailors and civilians and eight junior staff members (teenagers) in team building, goal setting, self-confidence, and substance abuse prevention and refusal skills during the eight-day camp.

Dr. Sharon Shaw, DEFY Program Coordinator, has been a part of the program since it first started at NCTAMS LANT in 1999.

"Nobody in my family had mentors when we were growing up, so I watched my siblings make some bad choices. We did not have programs similar to DEFY that could help empower us," Shaw said. "To enable today’s youth to make better choices, DEFY provides youth with drug- and gang-resistance skills and other life skills needed to avoid negative influences, DEFY uses a science-based curriculum."

DEFY Operations Coordinator and member of the NCTAMS LANT Operations Department, Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Blake Fechtler worked closely with the youth, including providing mentoring, lectures, and chaperoning during educational field trips.

"I first learned about the DEFY program when I attended our command indoctrination (onboarding). The instructors described the program as a catalyst for increasing community participation and commitment to youth," said Fechtler. "It sounded like a program that I could fit right into, so as soon as I had the chance I jumped right on it."

One event that involved many of the Sailors at NCTAMS LANT was morning colors at the command. The ceremony is conducted daily throughout the Navy and was flawlessly performed by the DEFY students at NCTAMS LANT July 18.

While the camp lasted eight days, the program is a yearlong effort.

"DEFY is a year-round program matching military and community role models with youth leaders for an extended period of skill-building, mentoring, and support," said Shaw.

That extended effort is something in which Fechtler sees great value for both the volunteer and the community.

"I am always actively looking for volunteering opportunities to positively impact as many people as I possibly can," he said. "I know DEFY will help these kids with their resiliency, strength, and lasting life skills."

In 2018, NCTAMS LANT DEFY won the 28th annual Secretary of Defense Community Drug Awareness Award and the 2018 Secretary of Defense Fulcrum Shield Award at the Pentagon. It was the first time any youth program won both awards at the same time.

NCTAMS LANT operates and defends responsive, resilient, and secure computer and telecommunications systems, providing information superiority for global maritime and joint forces.

Not only does the command function as a major information and processing node, but it also serves as the regional headquarters for 46 activities and base communications offices located up and down the East Coast, as far west as North Dakota, and overseas in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Iceland, Spain, Greece, and Africa. One reserve unit, NCTAMS LANT DET Norfolk, also provides support to NCTAMS LANT.

The 2,500 military, Department of Navy civilians, and contractors working within the NCTAMS LANT region directly support more than 187 afloat units, 4,223 message platforms and 190,000 base communication subscribers in the continental United States.

Learn more about NCTAMS LANT at https://www.nctamslant.navy.mil.

• Date Taken: 07.30.2019
• Date Posted: 07.30.2019 12:35
• Story ID: 333640
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US