Pubdate: Mon, 14 May 2012
Source: Alberni Valley Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Alberni Valley Times
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouverisland/albernivalleytimes/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4043
Author: Heather Thomson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

D.A.R.E. MARKS 12 YEARS IN VALLEY

Student in Area Schools Continue to Have Drug and Alcohol Prevention 
Message Delivered in Schools

Port Alberni schools and RCMP are marking the 12th year that D.A.R.E. 
has been offered to area students.

This year, all Grade 5 classes in the Alberni Valley received the 
first level of the drug prevention program, Drug Abuse Resistance 
Education. It is part of the RCMP'S Community Prevention Education 
Continuum, and is the first step to teaching youth the importance of 
making good, healthy choices when it comes to drugs and alcohol.

D.A.R.E. is the foundation of CPEC, and builds the groundwork to 
equip children with information that encourages a drug-free lifestyle.

Grade 7 students also have a D.A.R.E. program in order to re-enforce 
what the students learned two years prior.

But D.A.R.E. does not operate on its own. Throughout their education 
path, youth receive the same message through various programs at 
their schools, and therefore it is more likely to be remembered, 
explained Cpl. Dave Cusson, co-ordinator of the Drug and Organized 
Crime Awareness Service with the RCMP.

"It is a community-based strategy," Cusson explained. "If they keep 
hearing the same message, eventually it is more likely to sink in."

And that message is important for many reasons, including crime 
prevention in the future.

Students are taught to use a four-step D.A.R.E decision making model 
designed to help them engage in critical thinking, empowering them to 
make healthy choices and take charge of their lives.

It provides them the skills to analyze each decision and evaluate 
their choices.

The program is usually delivered over a 10-week period, and each 
lesson is presented in a fun and factual way, designed to maximize 
student participation.

D.A.R.E. is an effective crime prevention program. It provides 
opportunities to establish positive relationships between police, 
children, parents, teachers and other community members.

School superintendent Cam Pinkerton said youth get so many valuable 
things out of the D.A.R.E. program.

"We make sure to re-enforce its message though other programs," 
Pinkerton said. "It also shows them that a relationship with the RCMP 
can be positive, and they are there to help, it's not always negative."

Cusson said that is really important, because seeing RCMP officers as 
real people makes them more approachable.

Cst. Shelly Schedewitz runs most of the D.A.R.E. programs in Port Alberni.

"It is important for kids to understand just how harmful drugs and 
alcohol can be," she explained. "We show them they aren't making 
clear choices anymore, if they use drugs and alcohol, and that can 
get them into trouble with the law."

She said the program is designed specifically for Grade 5s. It talks 
about peer pressure and how to deal with it. They discuss healthy 
choices and what is a good friend. "Peer pressure is one of the most 
difficult things they have to deal with," Schedewitz said. "It is an 
important age. They need the skills to move forward and make healthy choices."

Schedewitz said the students love the program because it is engaging 
and identifies them as leaders.

Personally, she finds it rewarding to know she is making a difference 
when, down the road, one of them uses a lesson they learned in D.A.R.E.

She said the community is fortunate that all classes are exposed to 
the program, as not all districts are that lucky.

Cusson said CPEC is designed as a sustainable community-lead, 
police-assisted, comprehensive youth drug prevention strategy. In 
order for it to be successful, the whole community needs to be on board.

Pinkerton said Port Alberni needs to lose the thinking that "I did it 
when I was young so it's OK" when it comes to substance use.

Until that kind of message ends, Port Alberni will always struggle 
with substance problems, he said.

Cusson said it is an issue that trickles down to the street. He said 
prevention and enforcement go hand-in-hand.

"Most of the calls we respond to are substance related," he said. 
"Decrease substance abuse, and crime numbers will drop."

The best way to tackle the problem, he pointed out, is to start 
delivering a different, healthy message at a young age.

For more information on drug prevention programs, go to 
www.drugawareness.bc.ca.rcmp.gc.ca
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom