A Love of Sport, a Passion to Help and Two Decades of Dedication

Drug-Free Czech Republic sports event wraps up another year of nationwide drug prevention, cycling and running throughout the country with the Truth About Drugs Campaign.

Cycling more than 800 miles (1,300 km) in less than two weeks, a team of 10 athletes has wrapped up the 2023 Drug-Free Czech Cyclo-Run. They cycled and ran an average of 130 km each day and visited 41 towns and cities throughout the Czech Republic to reach youth with their drug prevention initiative and gain the support of officials, educators and police to provide quality drug education to the youth of their cities.

The Cyclo-Run is organized by Drug-Free Czech Republic, the local chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Their work over the past two decades is featured in an episode of Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network, available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM and AT&T U-verse, and streaming at Scientology.tv and through mobile apps, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV.

“Most research suggests that early to late adolescence is a critical risk period for the initiation of substance use and that substance use may peak among young people age 18–25 years,” said the team leader to officials they met with in each town. “When young children learn what drugs are and what they do, they can decide not to take them before they are encouraged to experiment with dangerous substances. Our 20 years of intensive drug prevention activities have confirmed for us that drug education leads to reduction in drug abuse in society.”

“This seems very sensible to me,” said a local mayor. “Information about the dangers of drugs should be made known to the general public, especially to the younger generation. The better school children are informed, the better they can approach this issue and evaluate the risks associated with drug use.”

The athletes believe the Cyclo-Run provides the perfect opportunity to raise awareness and to show youth that drugs are not the solution for what they encounter in life.

According to the volunteers, in the Czech Republic, there are an estimated 200,000 youth age 15-19 who have already come into contact with illegal drugs. That means one out of every three of the country’s teenagers have experimented with drugs. The Cyclo-Run athletes emphasize that manufacturers, drug propagandists and drug distributors are increasingly sophisticated and exploit children’s naivety and ignorance of what drugs are and what drugs cause, and they are helped in doing this by the indifference of parents and institutions.

“Attitude is important in prevention,” says the team leader, “and that is why we encourage each  city to commit to becoming a Drug-Free City.”

The annual Cyclo-Run takes place in the weeks leading up to the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking—an annual initiative in which Scientology Churches and Missions the world over participate.

Recognizing the crucial role substance abuse plays in the disintegration of the social fabric, Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs.” This sobering observation led to the development of the Truth About Drugs program of Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

A volunteer-based organization with a global network of over 200 chapters, Foundation for a Drug-Free World is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through the dissemination of the truth about drugs.

Drug-Free World volunteers from all corners of the globe reach out to their neighbors, local businesses, schools, religious leaders and nonprofits, equipping them with the knowledge necessary to help young people make informed decisions about substance abuse.

By making the resources of the Truth About Drugs available free of charge, the Church of Scientology International seeks to tackle this pressing issue head-on and provide communities with the tools they need to combat drug abuse effectively. Scientology Churches sponsor local chapters of the Foundation and hold seminars, drug prevention community open houses and forums, and provide free training on the Truth About Drugs curriculum. For more information on these programs, contact the nearest Church of Scientology.

Foundation for a Drug-Free World also provides drug education eCourses free of charge through the Drug-Free World website.