The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Program SILONG is a comprehensive drug abuse prevention initiative for Children in Street Situations (CISS) and Out-of-School Youth (OSY). It brings together age-appropriate prevention education, psychosocial support, family engagement, community participation, and access to appropriate services. Its learning modules strengthen essential life skills—from self-awareness, values, emotional regulation, and critical thinking to navigating peer influence, understanding psychoactive substances, making informed choices, and knowing where to seek help.
To prepare those who will bring these modules to young people, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) supported the DSWD in the conduct of the Training on Program SILONG: Comprehensive Drug Abuse Program for Children and Youth in Special Drug Education Centers for social workers and frontline implementers from various DSWD Field Offices and local government units, together with personnel from the DDB Preventive Education, Training, and Information Division (PETID).
Participants were trained to facilitate the modules using participatory, developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed approaches, recognizing that effective engagement with vulnerable children and youth requires sensitivity to their circumstances and experiences. Beyond learning the module content, they were equipped to create meaningful spaces where young people can reflect, participate, and develop skills they can apply in everyday life.
The program was formally opened by DDB Chairperson Secretary – Oscar Valenzuela, who emphasized the importance of responsive prevention interventions that recognize the realities faced by children and youth. He underscored that every child deserves a safe space to grow, and every young person deserves the support and opportunity to make healthy choices and pursue a brighter future. Recognizing that vulnerability to substance use may be shaped by a young person’s experiences at home, among peers, and within the community, he stressed that drug abuse prevention must go beyond raising awareness about drugs to foster environments that enable young people to thrive.
Meanwhile, DDB Deputy Executive Director for Administration – Assistant Secretary Ma. Victoria Sorne delivered the closing message, underscoring the importance of sustained collaboration in ensuring that prevention reaches young people through capable and compassionate practitioners who can translate the principles of Program SILONG into meaningful support for the children and youth they serve.
With trained social workers and prevention practitioners prepared to carry its modules forward, Program SILONG holds the potential to become a pioneering initiative in the Philippines and the ASEAN region, one that protects young people not only by addressing the risks of substance use, but also by strengthening the skills, relationships, and support they need to thrive.
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