Tony Bylsma - Director of Drug Education
Tony Bylsma is our Director of Drug Education and he is a Registered Addiction Specialist (RAS) with hundreds of hours of training on the effects of drugs and substance abuse. Tony started working as a drug dependency counselor in 1976 and has been a full time drug educator with us since 1999.
Mr. Bylsma has delivered the Truth about Drugs lecture series to more than 600,000 students, parents and teachers at hundreds of schools in California, Missouri, Nevada and New Mexico. He has been invited to speak at conferences, events, radio and television shows and is well known for his professionalism and his extensive knowledge about drugs and drug abuse prevention.
Through his down to earth style and nonjudgmental attitude, Mr. Bylsma has gained the trust of hundreds of thousands of youths and adults. What sets Tony apart is his ability to relay important and complex information in a manner that is fun and easy to understand. Always respectful of his audience, Mr. Bylsma acknowledges their points of view, which opens the audience up to accepting other new viewpoints. Surveys given to the attendees of his lectures indicate that over 98% of his audiences really enjoy the talks and have gained information they will be able to use. This is a direct result of his ability to effectively reach people of all ages and varying social backgrounds.
Tony has worked with the YMCA, YWCA, Community Family Centers, Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, Boys to Men Organization, CHP, Arizona State Police, Police Activities League, California Youth Services, City of Artesia, City of Los Angeles, UCLA, UCSD, Cal State Northridge, Jeopardy Programs of California and of Arizona, LAPD, Sheriff's Departments, The Salvation Army, Project Impact of LA, Youth Speak and many more.
Mr. Bylsma has received many acknowledgements for his effective drug education seminars... Please see some of the teachers' acknowledgements below and please click here to see the government recognitions Tony has received from the City of Paramount, Mayor of Los Angles Antonio Villaraigosa and California State Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes.
Mr. Bylsma has received many acknowledgements for his effective drug education seminars by students, counselors, teachers, business leaders, schools and government agencies & officials. Please see some of the teachers' acknowledgements below and please click here to see the government recognitions Tony has received from the City of Paramount, Mayor of Los Angles Antonio Villaraigosa and California State Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes.
Below are comments from teachers after receiving Tony's lectures in their classrooms:
"For the past decade the students in my health classes have been incredible fortunate to have your presentations as part of their alcohol, tobacco and drug education. The presentations are excellent and engaging for the students. These presentations have become a valuable complement to my drug education instruction." K.M. High School teacher
"When the speaker first came to our school over a year ago he made a tremendous difference in the lives of our students." J.C. High School Coordinator
"Thank you for your presentation describing the harmful effects of drugs that are abused in our society. Your clear and truthful explanations helped our students become aware of drug abuse without needless scare tactics that aren't effective deterrents." R.T. High School Teacher
"I can't thank you enough for coming to my classroom today to educate my students about drug use. Your message was effective because you made every student feel comfortable enough to participate and ask questions. I truly believe you have changed a lot of my students' minds about drugs." K.D. Health Teacher
"Our instructor, Tony, was enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. He went out of his way to ensure the students could make connections with their own lives and provide them with information so that they could receive a proper education in the area of drug and tobacco prevention." V.M. 3rd Grade teacher
"After the presentation many of the students commented on how interesting the presentation was and how much they had learned. Some students said they knew drugs were bad but didn't really know why or how until the presentation." J.T. College Instructor
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