Red Ribbon Week is celebrated every year in October from the 23^rd till the end of the month. It is a drug prevention awareness campaign and is considered one of the nation’s largest programs of such sort. It reaches millions of people annually, especially the younger crowd, which finds itself indulged in activities and social situations involving drugs.

It is considered an important ritual for parents, teachers, and students around the globe. Awareness is raised during this week every year regarding the benefits of building a strong community by making good choices, i.e., living positive and drug-free.

During this time every year, the mentors of young students, mostly parents, school counselors, and administrators, run campaigns in their areas of study to motivate students to live healthy and drug-free lives. It is also an occasion for celebration as the people who have worked with utmost dedication so far to eliminate the usage of drugs from our society and keep the communities all around the world as drug-free as possible are celebrated with great passion.

Red Ribbon Week is celebrated every year in memory of an agent belonging to the US DEA who went by the name of Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena. He faced brutal torture and was murdered later by the hands of a Mexican drug cartel when he uncovered a vast-scale drug operation. Every year, hundreds and millions of people from all around the world get together and take a stand in remembrance of 'Kiki' and against drug use.

Thousands of schools will celebrate Red Ribbon Week in October but few students know the history behind the movement. The week is not about wearing bright socks, dressing like a twin or having a bad hair day on purpose, it's about choosing to live a drug-free life.

Kiki was one of the best Drug Enforcement Administration agents that has ever served our country. His demand reduction work on illegal drugs is second to none. This is why his life must be celebrated annually.

Students must learn the historical events that led to what we know as Red RibbonWeek. This will help give an appreciation for the week and realize that we can all do our part if the fight against illegal drugs.

Enrique S. Camarena, otherwise known as Kiki, was born in Mexicali, Mexico, on the 26^th of July, 1947. He was raised in California, where he graduated from Calexico High School in 1966. Later, he went ahead and joined the U.S Marine Corps in 1968. For two years, he served in the Marine Corps and came out of there as a Calexico fireman, police officer, and Deputy Sheriff of the Imperial country. In the June of 1947, Camarena joined the Drug Enforcement Administration. For his first task as a drug enforcement officer, he was assigned with a very familiar place – the town where he was raised, Calexico, California.

After serving for 3 years in Calexico, he was called back to the Fresno District Office in Northern California in the year 1977. He was transferred back to Mexico 4 years later, where he started working for the Guadalajara Resident Office. He was on the trail for the country's most vast cocaine and marijuana traffickers for more than 4 years. He got extremely close to solving a multi-billion-dollar drug pipeline in early 1985. However, just before he was about to expose the said drug trafficking operation to the general public, he was kidnapped on the 7^th of February, 1985. The incident went down when Kiki was on his way to a luncheon with his wife, Mika, where five armed men showed up and surrounded their car. They threw him in the back of their car and took him away. That was the fateful day when he was seen alive for the last time by anyone except for his kidnappers.

It's believed that his death took place two days after the kidnapping took place, but his body could never be discovered. It was until the later month when his body was finally discovered on the 5^th of March, 1985. He died at the age of 37 and had three children and a wife.

He was awarded two Sustained Superior Performance Awards during his time of 11 years at DEA. He also received a Special Achievement Award and an Award of Administrator's Honor, which is the highest-ranked award ever granted by DEA. He worked immensely for the cause of drug prevention and left an unforgettable mark behind. Clubs were launched shortly after his death by Congressman Duncan Hunter and Henry Lozano, a close friend from high school. The clubs go by the name of Camareno Clubs and are located in Camareno’s hometown of Calexico, California.

The club members, who are hundreds in number, along with Calexico High School teacher David Dhillon honored Kiki by wearing red ribbons and remembering him for his sacrifice. Pledges were made to lead drug-free lives on behalf of all of America in order to remember and honor Kiki’s sacrifices. This eventually gained momentum throughout the United States and got known by the name of Red Ribbon Week. “Camerana Club Proclamation" was resented by the club members to Lady Nancy Reagan in 1985, which brought the cause a lot of attention and exposure. Later in the summer of that year, different groups of parents started wearing red ribbons nationwide to get the cause out there and promote it to the full extent.

Finally, the movement got formalized by the National Family Partnership in the year 1988, where Mr. President and Mrs. Reagan served as honorary chairpersons. In today's date, the campaign is fully formed and is celebrated as an eight-day program by the end of October every year. It serves as a catalyst occurring annually to promote a drug-free society and show tolerance for drugs in different communities, schools, and workplaces worldwide. Above 80 Million people ranging in all age groups get together every year on October 23-31 and honor Kiki by wearing red ribbons and taking a stand for a drug-free lifestyle and a healthier and more sustainable society.

The importance of Red Ribbon Week is not something the general public is unaware of. It is celebrated throughout the world, and a huge number of people participate and take a visible stand for the cause. It is considered as an ideal way for communities to unite and come on the same page against something very detrimental to the youth and society in general.

It is extremely important to understand the importance of this week fully. The death of Kiki Camarena at the hands of drug traffickers brought a great shock to the world. He was at justice and serving his duty as a dedicated officer of his country. The injustice he faced at the hands of mere drug traffickers brings nothing but shame to the drug endorsing and trafficking groups worldwide.

This annual celebration is sponsored by National Family Partnership. This organization is doing some commendable work by bringing different groups of people together for the promotion of a healthier and sustainable society. They sponsor a bunch of events that help in networking for the cause. They also provide parent training to keep children and the youth safe and far away from any usage of drugs. They help citizens all around the world get together and be on the same page for something that's in every way beneficial for society.

During Red Ribbon Week, over thirty events take place annually around the world. A simple question might arise in one's mind: "Is Red Ribbon Week Even Effective?”. To clear this concern, we have accumulated a list of milestones and success stories achieved by Red Ribbon Week so far.

1. This week is considered as an environmental strategy which doesn’t only affect a certain group of people but goes beyond the boundaries of churches, schools and into a broader range of community.
2. Red Ribbon Week has been specifically designed in a way that encourages people to talk to other people and work on different activities simultaneously. This leads to the formation of a community that gives the people in it a sense of belonging and common purpose.
3. The campaign has been designed in a way that would raise awareness for the cause, and that campaign would lead to getting information to the general public about drug use and its dangers.
4. The week is also designed to be able to help schools and teachers in delivering an efficient drug prevention program and curriculum.
5. The campaign helps in creating critical mass, which is essential in reducing social behaviors that might be destructive for individuals and promote positive norms for different groups of people, especially the youth.
6. Red Ribbon Week specializes in being fun and extremely positive, which ensures good mental health and an overall healthier environment.

Red Ribbon isn't just an average campaign run by a group of people. It's a whole environmental strategy specifically designed and carried out in a way that would benefit the masses. There's an official website dedicated to the cause, which goes by the name of www.redribbon.org. Schools and other educational institutions can greatly benefit from the sources and curriculum available on this website. The education available in these sources helps teachers in incorporating drug use prevention education into daily lectures and classes in an efficient way, leading to more awareness and drug prevention.

Information regarding all sorts of topics relating to substance abuse and its prevention is openly provided on the website, and the general public can fully access it. This gives parents an opportunity to browse for ideas on how to talk to children of different age groups regarding these matters and discuss the dangers with their kids. It has been scientifically proven that children whose parents talk to their teens on a regular basis about substances and drugs are 42% less likely to indulge in drug usage than those who do not. Currently, only 25% of teens have recorded indulging in these conversations with their parents.

Due to the increased alcohol use and abuse, a number of unified drug prevention education programs have been launched by the community members of Red Ribbon. However, it is visible that more action ought to be taken as substance abuse cases have been rising steadily as society progresses.

The efforts made by different groups of people and communities in order to diminish drug usage have been commendable so far. They have been successful in preventing drug usage to a great extent and have served as a source of motivation and encouragement for future generations to take part in such campaigns actively. The next step that has to be taken to ensure further the success of the Red Ribbon campaign completely depends upon the youth and the existing generation.

The major step would be to grow the Red Ribbon campaign further. Students and parents should actively take part and come up with new productive ideas that can be implemented in the movement effectively. The possibilities to commemorate red ribbon week and renew its commitments are endless. Great and dedicated minds are needed to think out of the box and further commemorate the movement at large.

Teachers should actively take part and do as much as they possibly can in order to make a significant and meaningful difference. They can start out by endorsing drug prevention in daily classes and seminars. They shouldn't shy away from taking small steps every day as these minute steps would surely make a big difference at the end of the day and might save some lives.

These small steps could be planning morning announcements and messages and then delivering them to the whole school through some sort of medium. They can add Red Ribbon Week materials to small packets and distribute them among students to take home with them. Moreover, they can print out drug prevention messages and quotes on posters and stick them around campus for students to glance at whenever passing by. Monthly or annual events completely dedicated to drug prevention and substance abuse should be organized by schools, and students should be encouraged to take an active part in organizing it.

Red Ribbon Week is a campaign of its kind. No other movement has been as vast and successful as this one, to the point where millions get out of their homes and gather to be able to participate in the cause. The importance of this movement cannot be emphasized enough, and people all around the world are requested to take a stand so that the sacrifices of Kiki won't amount to anything. Will you commit to live Drug-free?