Red Ribbon Week 2026 | October 23–31

Bring the NFL to Red Ribbon Week.

Then give your students a message bigger than football.

Former NFL player Andre Fluellen combines the energy students want with conversations they actually need — choices, pressure, identity, mental health, purpose, and building a life worth protecting.

Former NFL Player

Real credibility

Professional Student Speaker

Built for the room

Real Stories. Real Tools.

Real connection

Andre Fluellen speaking to a packed school audience

Make a Difference.

2026 official theme

Be a Hero.

Courage and leadership

Stay Drug Free.™

Healthy choices and influence

NFL credibility, student connection

Yes. He actually played in the NFL.

Before Andre was speaking to students across the country, he was doing this.

Football opens the door. The conversation that follows is why schools bring Andre back.

The student-speaking experience

The NFL gets their attention. The message earns their trust.

Andre doesn't speak at students. He speaks with them.

Humor gets them comfortable.

Story gets them listening.

Honesty gets them thinking.

Practical tools give them something to do.

The Red Ribbon Week message

Don't just tell them what not to do. Show them what they're living for.

Drug prevention cannot begin and end with “don't use drugs.” Students are dealing with pressure, anxiety, belonging, identity, relationships, expectations, social media, disappointment, and questions about their future.

Andre brings those conversations into the room. His message helps students understand how their thoughts, environments, habits, words, relationships, and daily choices influence the direction of their lives.

The goal is helping students build a life they value enough to protect.

Make a Difference. Be a Hero. Stay Drug Free.™

Sometimes being a hero starts with one better decision. Then another. Then another.

What students walk away with

A message they can use after the assembly.

01

Better decisions

Understanding that today's choices create tomorrow's reality.

02

Self-worth

Separating who they are from mistakes, pressure, and outside opinions.

03

Mental tools

Simple strategies to regulate, refocus, and move forward.

04

Courage to ask for help

Making vulnerability and help-seeking feel human instead of weak.

05

Purpose

Giving students something worth moving toward, not only something to avoid.

06

Ownership

Recognizing the power they have over the direction of their lives.

Why Andre for Red Ribbon Week?

An assembly they'll still be talking about after Red Ribbon Week.

NFL credibility

He has their attention before he says the first word.

Student-first communication

No preaching. No talking down to them.

Mental health + prevention

The conversation goes deeper than substance avoidance.

Entertainment + substance

Students laugh, engage, participate, and learn.

Andre Fluellen surrounded by engaged middle school students

Built for students

The right room. The right message.

Middle SchoolsHigh SchoolsStudent-AthletesDistrict-Wide EventsRed Ribbon Week AssembliesPrevention ProgramsLeadership Events

Beyond the assembly

The Crisis We Created

What 10,000 Teenagers Revealed About Anxiety, Pressure, and the Adults Raising Them.

Explore the book
Andre Fluellen speaking with students after an assembly

What happens after the applause matters more.

Make this the Red Ribbon Week your students remember.

Red Ribbon Week takes place October 23–31. Check Andre's availability for your assembly, district initiative, prevention event, student leadership experience, or school-wide program.

Schools • Districts • Conferences • Community Organizations

Check availability.

Tell us about your students, your date, and the experience you are planning. Andre's team will follow up with fit and next steps.

Built for real school communities

Designed for honest student connection

Check Red Ribbon Week Availability