For several hours on July 15, more than 100 participants in the Baltimore City Recreation and Parks Youthworks summer program gathered at the Chick Webb Recreation Center to paint, rap and talk about the impact of substance use in Baltimore.

The activities are all part of the Kids Off Drugs (K.O.D.) program hosted by the Baltimore City Health Department, Behavioral Health System Baltimore and Catalyst of Change.

Now in its fifth year, K.O.D. uses Hip-Hop and Baltimore culture (language, arts, and history) to explain the history of drugs in the city and how cultural norms can lead to substance use. The name was inspired by Grammy award winning rapper J-Cole and his K.O.D. album, Kids On Drugs, which explores the impact of addiction in his own life and wider society.

Baltimore’s K.O.D program connects with young people through high-energy presentations at schools (from middle school through college) and community-based programs. For schools, K.O.D. offers three activities (Tiny Desk, Juice and Paint and Versuz Battles) to encourage students to express themselves creatively and share their experiences. Community K.O.D. events bring together young people from across the city to learn and share while having fun.

Since its inception in 2021, the program has reached more than 2,000 young people across Baltimore, and its impact continues to grow. In the last fiscal year alone (July 2025-June 2026), the K.O.D. team visited six schools and hosted four community events, serving 1,069 youth in total.

The Community K.O.D. held at the Chick Webb Recreation Center earlier this month is part of a growing collaboration with other Baltimore City agencies focused on youth development. Throughout the day, the YouthWorks participants tested their knowledge of substance use through a Kahoot quiz, discussed lyrics in popular songs that reference street drugs, learned how to use Narcan, and painted their thoughts and dreams on small canvas.

And that’s the goal of K.O.D. – providing a safe space for youth to engage in conversation to make informed and healthy choices for themselves.

To learn more about the K.O.D. program, visit kodbaltimore.org

Feature photo by Baltimore City Recreation & Parks. View the full album.