Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Bahraini Ambassador to the US and member of the Board of Directors of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E), participated in the meeting of the Board of Directors of the organisation.
The ambassador affirmed the interest of General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of the Interior, in sharing the successful experience of the Kingdom in combating violence and addiction through the Maan (Together) programme.
He expressed Bahrain’s full readiness to support countries in preparing and implementing the Maan programme, pointing to the effectiveness of its curricula in protecting children and youth from negative challenges and risks in accordance with the best international practices and the proven results of field studies.
Ambassador Shaikh Abdullah praised the prominent role of Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, the Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence at the Interior Ministry and Head of Maan (together) against violence and a
ddiction committee, in the implementation of initiatives and programmes that contribute to the protection of generations and the promotion of security awareness and community responsibility.
The ambassador reviewed the means and capabilities provided by the kingdom to implement the “Maan” programme and achieve its desired outputs. He emphasised the kingdom’s readiness to provide the necessary needs and adapt them to the aspirations of the competent authorities in the field of youth and youth protection, in addition to the availability of the materials and software prepared by a specialised team in this field.
They also reviewed the technical needs of the Maan travelling exhibition and its prototype, which includes the virtual exhibition section, the VR headset section, the awareness-raising cartoon section and the online games section.
For their part, board members lauded the efforts of the Bahraini Interior Ministry and the success of the Maan programme, which received international awards. They stressed
the importance of the “peaceful co-existence and counter-extremism” approach and the importance of developing it on a regular basis and reaching the third phase of the implementation plan.
They also called for promoting cooperation between the Kingdom, represented by the Ministry of Interior, and the organisation, through conducting joint research papers and seeking to establish new curricula that contribute to strengthening teaching methods and spreading a culture of social awareness and intellectual security.
D.A.R.E. has selected Ambassador Shaikh Abdullah as its first board member from outside the United States since its inception in 1983, in recognition of his prominent role in establishing the “Maan” programme against violence and addiction in Bahrain.
Source: Bahrain News Agency
