Church of Scientology Nashville Partners with Health Leaders to Demand Citywide Change on International Day Against Drug Abuse

The Church of Scientology Nashville in partnership with Drug-Free Tennessee held an event for International Day Against Drug Abuse to help the community keep young people away from drugs.

Aiming for an international society free of drug abuse, the United Nations named June 26th as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. In keeping with the purpose of the day, the Church of Scientology, in partnership with Drug-Free Tennessee, held “How to Keep Our Youth Off Drugs” — a breakfast forum at the church.

“When it comes to preventing drug abuse, we can only make great strides if we all work together,” says Rev. Brian Fesler, regional coordinator for Drug-Free Tennessee.

Health leaders attending the forum were impressed with the materials that were showcased including the complete educator’s guide which helps prevent drug abuse at all ages, and gladly accepted the materials so they can work together to bring this education to the broader community.

In 1987, immediately after establishing the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the UN passed resolution 42/113 stating that the UN General Assembly acknowledged “the effectiveness of human, moral and spiritual values for preventing the consumption of narcotic drugs” and called on governments “to take the necessary measures to reduce significantly the illicit demand for drugs and psychotropic substances with the aim of creating in society a deep respect for its own health, fitness and well-being and to provide appropriate information and advice for all sectors of their communities with regard to drug abuse, its harmful effects and the way in which appropriate community action can be promoted.”

Dedicated to accomplishing this, the Foundation for a Drug-Free World has produced an entire curriculum to educate people of all ages on the harmful effects of drugs.

The Church of Scientology and its members support the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a secular nonprofit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions to live drug-free. The Foundation’s Truth About Drugs campaign is one of the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention initiatives. As shown on a program on the Scientology TV Network, this support makes it possible for the foundation to provide drug education booklets, videos and educator guides free of charge to teachers, mentors and civic and community leaders.

According to the United Nations Office on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, “Every dollar spent on prevention can save governments up to ten dollars in later costs.”

For more information on Drug-Free Tennessee, visit DrugFreeTN.org or to learn more about the Church of Scientology Nashville visit Scientology-CCNashville.org. 

Drug-Free Tennessee Provides Tools to School Resource Officers

Drug-Free Tennessee recently participated in the national conference of school resource officers which coincided with International Day Against Drug Abuse.

Keeping Youth off Drugs has long been the message of Drug-Free Tennessee (DFT), which is the local chapter of the international non-profit The Foundation for a Drug-Free World. The group has promoted a drug-free life with education and prevention materials for young people.

Most recently, DFT attended the National Association of School Resource Officers Convention in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., to help provide tools to school resource officers, so they can in turn  educate students they interact with on the dangerous effects of drugs.

This school resource officer convention happened to coincide with International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking, a day marked by the United Nations “to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.”

The cornerstone of the Foundation’s educational program is the Truth About Drugs booklets, which enlighten all ages on the dangers of common street drugs.

School Resource Officers attending the conference were impressed with the Foundation’s materials, with dozens signing up to receive the complete Education Package for their schools. This package is delivered free of charge to anyone who wishes to educate others on this subject and can be ordered through drugfreeworld.org.

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a secular nonprofit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions to live drug-free. The Foundation’s Truth About Drugs campaign is the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention initiative. The Church of Scientology and Scientologists support the Foundation, making it possible to provide these materials free of charge to community leaders, groups and educators for their use in dealing with this vital subject.

The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee Makes Strong Families

The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee participated in the Edgehill Strong Families event.

“Honor and Help Your Parents,” is but one precept from the common sense guide The Way to Happiness, but it is with this in mind that volunteers from The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee were out in the community for a Father’s Day celebration dubbed “Strong Families Day” to distribute copies of the booklet to parents and children alike.

The Way to Happiness, which was written by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1980s, sparked a movement and has been reprinted and passed hand to hand to a wide variety of cultures and peoples.

In Tennessee, The Way to Happiness Association has been working to spread its message even further. The reason? Organizers for the group say where it is distributed crime rates plummet, as proven by statistics.

“This book spreads a calmness that is unparalleled by anything else. It contains common sense moral messages that anyone can agree with and apply,” says Rev. Brian Fesler, the regional coordinator for the program.

During the Father’s Day event in Nashville, The Way to Happiness Volunteers were able to see dozens of parents and children and get them their copy of the booklet

According to thewaytohappiness.org, “This code of conduct can be followed by anyone, of any race, color or creed and works to restore the bonds that unite humankind.” Acting as a resource center to assist the public with distribution projects bringing about needed changes in businesses, communities and entire regions, the Way to Happiness Foundation is supported by a growing global network of The Way to Happiness offices that forward the book into circulation across all sectors of society. As a result, people world over—from heads of state, mayors and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, to doctors, lawyers, local business leaders and community heads—are now using The Way to Happiness to reverse the current moral decline.

To date, some 100 million copies of The Way to Happiness have been distributed in more than 114 languages and in over 170 countries. For more information, visit twthtn.org.

The Church of Scientology, in partnership with the Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee, observed World Environment Day with an event called Growing Nashville.

​​​According to the Nashville Area Metro Planning Organization, “transportation, and policies that guide the expansion of transportation infrastructure, are increasingly linked to a variety of environmental issues.” It’s no doubt that Nashville has been experiencing unprecedented growth, but what is happening to the natural environment as this growth occurs?

This was the subject of the World Environment Day event “Growing Nashville” at the Church of Scientology, organized in partnership with the Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee.

World Environment Day was established by the United Nations to encourage worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment.

The event included a presentation by the Metro Nashville Beautification and Environment Commission’s Horticulturist and other community initiatives to help the city, followed by live music from Jess Lacoy and Kevin Riley Corbo.

Judy Young, Director of The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee presented native Nashville plants to the Beautification Commission’s Horticulturist and Edgehill community leader Brenda Morrow for their work to make Nashville more beautiful and true to its environment.

The Way to Happiness Association, which sponsored the event, was created to promote the book The Way to Happiness, written by humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. The book’s 21 precepts are based on the principle that one’s survival depends on the survival of others. “Your own survival can be threatened by the bad actions of others around you,” he wrote. “You are important to other people. You are listened to. You can influence others.”

One way in which one’s own actions and influence can make a significant impact is closely related to the purpose of World Environment Day.

In the precept “Safeguard and Improve the Environment,” Mr. Hubbard wrote:

“The idea that one has a share in the planet and that one can and should help care for it may seem very large and, to some, quite beyond reality. But today what happens on the other side of the world, even so far away, can effect what happens in your own home….

“One can ask, ‘Even if that were true, what could I do about it?’ Well, even if one were simply to frown when people do things to mess up the planet, one would be doing something about it. Even if one only had the opinion that it was just not a good thing to wreck the planet and mentioned that opinion, one would be doing something…

“There are many things one can do to help take care of the planet. They begin with the idea that one should. They progress with suggesting to others they should.

“Man has gotten up to the potential of destroying the planet. He must be pushed on up to the capability and actions of saving it.

“It is, after all, what we’re standing on.”

World Environment Day was set aside by the UN as “the ‘people’s day’ for doing something positive for the environment, galvanizing individual actions into a collective power that generates an exponential positive impact on the planet.”

The Way to Happiness was written in 1981. Immensely popular since its first publication,

some 115 million copies have been distributed in 115 languages in 186 nations. It holds the Guinness World Record as the single most-translated nonreligious book and fills the moral vacuum in an increasingly materialistic society.

The Church of Scientology and its members are proud to share the tools for happier living contained in The Way to Happiness.