Youth Voice Against
Drug Abuse
Your voice. Your words. Your message. Your power to inspire change.
Young people can use their voices, music, and creativity to speak against drug abuse and inspire positive change in our community.
Write your original song or video • Submit via WhatsApp Community • Win up to £150 Cash
Who We Are
Drug Free World Africa (DFWA) UK is an organisation working to help people, especially young people, understand the dangers of drug abuse. We help everyone make healthy, informed, and drug-free choices.
We do this through:
1. Education
Sharing facts about drugs so young minds understand pharmacological realities.
2. Awareness
Helping people understand the risks through rallies, road walks, and media campaigns.
3. Prevention
Stopping drug abuse before it starts by building confidence and peer resilience.
4. Treatment & Care
Supporting health, medical attention, emotional counselling, and recovery.
5. Rehabilitation
Helping people rebuild their lives with dignity, purpose, and community support.
6. Skills Empowerment
Teaching useful skills for a better future, including digital media, arts, and music training.
About Youth Voice Against Drug Abuse
Youth Voice Against Drug Abuse (YVADA) is an exciting programme for young people in Newham and beyond. It brings young people together from community churches to use music as a tool for hope and change.
Why Music?
Talking about drug use can be hard, but music makes it easier to speak to people's hearts and minds. Through song, YVADA shares positive messages, helps people make good choices, and brings the community together.
By joining YVADA, you will:
Use your music and youth voice to build drug abuse awareness.
Learn about prevention and making positive choices.
Bring hope, teamwork, leadership, and creativity to your community.
Powered by People Powered Places Stratford and West Ham, Newham Council, London, United Kingdom.
The YVADA Song Challenge
Your Voice. Your Song. Your Message.
We are looking for young people to create a song that speaks about drug abuse. We want songs that touch the heart, connect with people, and inspire positive change.
Your song should share a clear message about:
1. The Impact of Drug Abuse
How drugs damage health, dreams, mental focus, and everyday life.
2. The Consequences of Drug Abuse
How abuse harms families, relationships, education, and communities.
3. The Benefits of Living a Drug-Free Life
Celebrating clarity, self-respect, strength, and genuine freedom.
4. Making Positive Choices
Inspiring courage to resist negative peer pressure and stand out.
5. Encouraging Other Young People
Calling friends and peers to stay drug-free together.
Open to All Music Styles
Gospel, choir, rap, acoustic, afrobeat, spoken word, and R&B are all welcome!
Who Can Take Part?
Youth choirs, solo singers, poets, school groups, and community music lovers in Newham, London, and across the UK are all invited to enter.
Prizes
Celebrate your message and creativity! Cash awards and showcase honours await our winners.
Cash Prize
- • Live showcase performance slot
- • Certificate of High Commendation
- • Social media feature
Cash Prize
- • £150 Cash Prize
- • Featured Live Performance at 12 Dec Showcase
- • Studio Recording Session
- • Certificate of Artistic Excellence
Cash Prize
- • YVADA Final Showcase recognition
- • Certificate of Recognition
- • Official Youth Ambassador status
How to Enter
Select any of the following 3 options to submit your creative piece:
Original Song
- Write an original song about the impact and consequences of drug abuse and the benefits of living a drug-free life.
- Post your song on your social media account.
Video with Lyrics
- Add lyrics: If you want to make a video, make sure the full song words/lyrics appear on the video screen.
- Include text: Also post the written lyrics as raw text with your video.
Narrative Video
- Create a video featuring Black youths engaging in different forms of drug abuse, showing how drug abuse affects their lives and the possible impact on their families.
For Us to Record Your Participation
1. Tag us: Tag [Drug Free World Africa Social Media Handle] (@drugfreeworldafrica) when you post.
2. Post with these hashtags:
3. Follow Drug Free World Africa social media handles on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and X.
4. Join the community, resend your creative work and stay updated with the Challenges' announcements:
Important Dates
Keep track of programme milestones from submission to the grand showcase event.
Programme & Challenge Begin
YVADA programme and song challenge officially open for entries across churches and youth groups.
Song Challenge Closes
Final deadline to post your song with hashtags and submit into the WhatsApp community.
Winners Announced
Judges announce 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners across all social media platforms.
Youth Workshops & Instrument Training
Music workshops, vocal coaching, instrument masterclasses, and drug prevention training continue.
Final YVADA Showcase / Event
Grand live celebration in Stratford & West Ham, Newham featuring live performances and awards.
There will be different youth workshops, music training sessions, and programme activities before the final showcase. Stay updated and look out for the dates of each activity.
Your Voice Can Make a Difference
You have the power to help others. Use your music, your words, and your creativity to send a positive message to your friends and community today.
Become an Impact Creator
Drug Free World Africa UK and Africa are looking for passionate people with creative skills to help us tackle drug abuse. If you want to volunteer and support our work, join us as an Impact Creator!
We are looking for volunteers in:
Have another skill that can help?
We would love to hear from you. Fill out the Impact Creator Registration Form to get involved.
Become an Impact CreatorSee What We Have Been Doing
Take a look at highlights from our previous activities, youth engagement sessions, awareness programmes, and community work.
Church Music & Instrument Training
Stratford, Newham • Youth vocalists and instrumentalists composing hope songs.
Truth About Drugs Community Rally
Brixton & London • Volunteers distributing factual educational literature.
International Youth Day
Kano & UK • Sensitizing students on the pitfalls of illicit substance use.
Your Voice Matters.
Speak up, create, share, and inspire others to make healthy, drug-free choices. Together, we can make our community stronger.