National U-20 team benefit from drug awareness session

CONCACAF U-20 men’s championship

With the CONCACAF U-20 Men’s Championship looming on the horizon, the National U-20 squad is being prepped in all areas for their travel and participation.
One such area is drug awareness and the team was treated to an informative and interactive session, coordinated by the Guyana Football Federation.

The session, which was themed “Benefits of Dissing Illicit Narcotics”, was facilitated by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on October 13 at the National Library’s conference room.
Leading the discussion were CANU’s Legal Officer Konya Sandiford and Senior Manager Rayon Samuels, who explained key aspects of the law highlighting the concepts of “possession” and “trafficking,” and the corresponding penalties.
The interactive session also saw the CANU officials sharing tactics used by traffickers to lure potential mules, methods of concealment and the benefits of “dissing” the narcotic trade. Press stories and practical examples were used to further enhance the quality of the session for the very eager participants.
Prior to the CANU’s presentation, GFF President Wayne Forde and First Vice President Brigadier (Retired) Bruce Lovell offered words of encouragement to the group. Forde urged the youth to embrace a positive lifestyle and be good ambassadors of the sport while Lovell’s presentation titled, “Understanding Your D.A.D (Discipline, Attitude and Dedication)” went into detail about the three areas of focus and their impact on the positive development of the person. One thought that he zeroed in on and used as a means of encouragement for them was: “If It Is To Be, It Starts with Me.”
In wrapping up, Team Manager Daniel Thomas expressed appreciation to the speakers for their presentations and urged the national team members to activate the positive messages conveyed during the meeting in every aspect of their life. Also, present at the event was CANU’s Deputy Head Leslie Ramlall and members of the technical staff.
The National U-20 team have a packed schedule ahead which essentially leads up to their first match against Guatemala on November 2 at 10:30h. They will return to the playing field four days later for their second match against Cayman Islands on November 6 at 10:30h. Next they will face off with Curaçao on November 8 at 12:45h, and their final first-round match will be against El Salvador on November 10 at 19:45h.