Derek Neary
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 06/98) - The Yellowknife RCMP are arming students with choices and some students are firing back.

RCMP officers Len Del Pino, Anna Marie Mallard and Sophie Thibault are instructing the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program to four classes at St. Joseph and Weledeh junior high schools.

The program, involving 17 hours of lessons, isn't a simple "Just say no" message. It's a series of self-esteem building life skills classes targeting 10- to 12-year-olds. Del Pino met with Grade 6 and 7 students at Ecole St. Joseph on Monday morning. It was lesson 11 -- making decisions about risky behavior.

The session begins as they all do, with Del Pino asking the students what has taken place in their lives since his last visit. Half of the hands in the room shoot up. Del Pino calls on the students by name.

He then goes to the DARE box and withdraws a few questions. The second one requires some explanation -- "What is a cavity search? Because someone I know was arrested and had to have one done."

Later, the discussion turns to the consequences of taking risks. Some students -- the most vocal in the class -- clearly associate being "cool" with drinking alcohol and selling drugs. Dealers, they argue, bask in wealthy lifestyles.

Del Pino and teacher Carmel Sullivan try to debunk these students' perception of drug dealers' glamorous existences. In reality, they live their lives constantly looking over their shoulder, risk losing everything they have and deal with many violent people who wouldn't hesitate to dispose of them.

After the class, Del Pino said, "The questions that (the students) put are ones that you have to think about. You have to be truthful. Some of them are quite direct and, although you feel a little awkward, you have to answer them.... We're giving them both sides. You have to realize the consequences if you do this."

Sullivan said the students regularly challenge Del Pino "every step of the way.

"I think some of them are taking their own experiences and questioning him," she said.

Besides the law, Del Pino has persistence on his side. The 17 hours of instruction ensure the students receive a strong, resounding message.

"It's reinforced constantly. I've gone through the first 11 lessons with Len and I'm quite impressed," said Sullivan, adding that the youth relish the role playing activities. A graduation ceremony has been scheduled for May 28.

In addition, the RCMP periodically have lunch with the students and spend recess with them to build a social relationship, rather than just a formal one.

"They know me now. When I see them after school or downtown, they talk to me. It's a real interaction between the kids and the instructor," Del Pino explained.

Three more members are currently in Edmonton for the DARE instructor course, where Del Pino, Mallard and Thibault got their 80 hours of background training. Del Pino said he plans to get off to an earlier start next year and incorporate DARE in more schools in eventually in more NWT communities.

The program was conceived in Los Angeles in 1983. It's now being used in close to 40 countries worldwide, according to Del Pino.

"Right now, it's known as the best drug awareness program in the world," he said, adding that the lessons are updated every three to five years.