Youth Safeguarding in Italy: 300 Volunteers Distribute 500,000 Drug-Prevention Booklets

MILAN, Italy — 12 February 2026 — A volunteer network of around 300 people has been active since January in multiple Italian cities in a prevention-through-information campaign, circulating prevention materials titled “Truth About Drugs”. According to organisers that over 500,000 copies have already been handed out, starting in Milan and expanding to additional cities.

Support for the outreach is provided by the European Office of the Church of Scientology as part of its long-running backing for community-based drug education inspired by the work of L. Ron Hubbard. The campaign focuses on facts about substances and the physical and mental-health consequences associated with use.

Organisers also highlight athlete involvement. They say more than 100 athletes connected to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have signed the Foundation for a Drug-Free World’s Honorary Register, backing prevention messaging aimed at young people. In the organisers’ view, sport offers a credible setting for prevention messaging because it is associated with discipline, recovery and mental focus.

Ivan Arjona, Scientology’s representative to the EU, news euro 2024 OSCE, the Council of Europe and the United Nations, noted: “Across Europe, protecting young people is not only a health objective but a civic duty. Providing verified, understandable information strengthens autonomy and informed choice, and it helps communities limit the conditions in which exploitation can take root.”

More information: Scientology Europe report on Italy’s youth safeguarding outreach.