Vans Warped Tour and Preventum Initiative launch The FEND Movement at The Cutting Room on May 23rd

The Preventum Initiative announced today an evening with Kevin Lyman, founder of The Vans Warped Tour, to launch FEND (Full Energy, No Drugs). Lyman will share the stage with media personality, Kevan Kenney, for an intimate conversation about the music industry and the fight to end the Opioid Epidemic. The event will be held Wednesday, May 23rd from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at The Cutting Room in NYC. FEND is a ground-breaking, drug prevention campaign combining world-first technology, popular music and cutting edge streetwear to engage and empower young people to take control of their health in the face of America’s opioid epidemic.

• Warped Tour founder, Kevin Lyman, gives you a virtual backstage pass
• Learn how FEND is changing the way we combat the Opioid Epidemic

The evening will feature amazing stories from Lyman (and a few surprise guests) about their experiences from the tour. Lyman will also be joined by advocate for long-term addiction recovery, Tim Ryan “The Hope Dealer,” along with special music guest, Matt Butler, and former New York governor, David Paterson. They will share information on the FEND movement and its success seen to date. Attendees can partner with us as we raise funds to roll out FEND to the US—together we can lower the opioid addiction and overdose rates among American youth.

“This awareness campaign focuses on prescription painkillers, because of the misconceptions about their safety, ease of availability and high addiction and overdose risks,” says Jacquii Burgess, Executive Director of the Preventum Initiative, the research organization behind the movement. “FEND movement goes beyond just raising awareness about prescription painkillers; this movement is about empowering youth to make a stand against opioids.”

The campaign will be rolled out on an app-based platform from technology partner Preventum. Preventum’s digital health platform incorporates gamification, machine learning and artificial intelligence to individualize and engage participants.

The campaign will engage youth at each stop of the Vans Warped Tour, specifically focusing on the safe use of opioids, how to identify and what to do in event of an overdose and where to get help for someone dealing with addiction.

“Too many members of the Vans Warped Tour family have been affected by the opioid epidemic. As the Vans Warped Tour comes to an end, we have an opportunity to continue to reach out to youth and make a difference,” says festival director, Kevin Lyman.

The program aims to engage 50,000 young people between March and August 2018, giving them the chance to earn rewards and prizes as they increase their knowledge and change their attitudes and behaviors in relation to opioids. Youth can participate by downloading the Preventum app and on-boarding to the FEND campaign.