Sutaj Estok Considers 'First-Hand Experience' Campaign Success

Bratislava, 24 June (TASR) - I consider the nationwide preventive campaign 'Na vlastnej kozi' (First-Hand Experience), which aims to deter children from cyberbullying and drug use, a success, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) told a press conference on Wednesday. During the campaign, more than 300 schools with approximately 19,000 students signed up to participate. Due to capacity limitations, approximately 10,000 children passed through the lorry where the main programme took place. The minister also repeatedly rejected criticism of the campaign. According to Sutaj Estok, the campaign is set to continue in the autumn. "Prevention must be effective. It must be delivered in a way that resonates with the audience. In this case, that audience - or the people we wanted to reach - are young people. That's why we chose this approach, an experiential one," he stated. The minister has repeatedly rejected criticism of the campaign. He didn't clearly state whether the performers in the competition had 9.5 days to submit their proposals. Nor did he say whether the campaign's creators had taken into account that not every participant might be sufficiently capable of taking part in the campaign. According to him, law enforcement bodies will conduct an independent investigation into the campaign. The Interior Ministry launched the nationwide preventive campaign 'Na vlastnej kozi' at the beginning of May. The campaign focused on three areas - including drugs, cyberbullying and animal abuse - and aimed to help young people better understand the consequences of their decisions. am/mcs