D.A.R.E. Indiana Representative (2012-2014)
Recently, Matt attended the Youth Advisory Board National Training Conference held at the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Read about his experience at the Conference.
Hello, this is Matthew Reed the Indiana representative to the DARE Youth Advisory Board. This is the recap of my weekend in Washington at the YAB National Conference. It was a great experience in learning, connecting, and networking. I had a great time meeting all of my fellow delegates from around the United States. The conference was an awesome opportunity for the delegates from across the country to come together to share our different perspectives and backgrounds.
The conference offered many opportunities towards connecting with the other delegates and building up the YAB. Before the conference I didn’t have many connections to the other YAB members. Now I not only got to know many of the members, but I also have a better ability to communicate with them. The trip had many different activities that were both educational and fun, such as the tour of the DEA lab, presentations by the DEA, and group activities administered by DARE America. The weekend also included visits to all of the historical monuments at the National Mall, tours of the DEA Headquarters, and a stop at the Consumer Products Lab. We even got some hands on practice at the obstacle course and door breaching training.
As awesome as it was to explore DC and participate in the DEA activities, the highlight of the weekend was just getting to know all of the delegates and to hear their stories and experiences with DARE in their states. It was a quick and exhausting weekend but the late nights hanging with the other delegates at the DEA Eagle Lounge were a lot of fun. Each of the delegates shared their experiences with DARE as well as their ideas for how to continue and improve the DARE “Experience”. The delegates represented their states well and were a positive peer group to be surrounded by.
I have to offer praise and gratitude to all of the people who worked hard to put together such a great and successful conference. The DARE administrators and DEA Faculty were nice, hard working and kept everyone focused and on track. The facilities were great and the staff took great care to make our experience fun and memorable. Even the food in the cafeteria was really good. My experience at the conference was very enlightening and contained a lot of fun jammed into a quick and eventful weekend.
Thank you all very much for this opportunity, and I look forward to discovering new ways to participate with DARE in the future.
Respectfully, Matt Reed |
