Pubdate: Fri, 22 May 2009
Source: Kootenay News Advertiser (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Kootenay News Advertiser
Contact:  http://www.kootenayadvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2651
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

LIVING PRODUCTIVE, DRUG- AND VIOLENCE-FREE LIVES

This year millions of school children around the world will benefit 
from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the program that 
gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, 
and violence. D.A.R.E was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has 
proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent 
of our nation's school districts and in more than 43 countries around 
the world. D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom 
lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through Grade 12 how 
to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

The D.A.R.E. curriculum is designed to be taught by police officers 
whose training and experience gave them the background needed to 
answer the sophisticated questions often posed by young students 
about drugs and crime. Prior to entering the D.A.R.E. program, 
officers undergo 80 hours of special training in areas such as child 
development, classroom management, teaching techniques, and 
communication skills. 40 hours of additional training are provided to 
D.A.R.E. instructors to prepare them to teach the high school curriculum.

D.A.R.E. goes beyond traditional prevention programs. It gives 
children the skills needed to recognize and resist the subtle and 
overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs or become 
involved in gangs or violent activities.

- - D.A.R.E. is an internationally recognized model of community 
policing. D.A.R.E. benefits local communities:

- - D.A.R.E. "humanizes" the police; young people can begin to relate 
to officers as people

- - D.A.R.E. permits students to see officers in a helping role, not 
just an enforcement role

- - D.A.R.E. opens lines of communication between law enforcement and youth

- - D.A.R.E. officers can serve as conduits to provide information 
beyond drug related topics

- -D.A.R.E. opens dialogue between the school, police, and parents to 
deal with other issues.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom