DARE to be different
RCMP and schools work together to create drug awareness for grades 5 and 6 students

Maria Canton
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 04/99) - Substance abuse isn't a topic that is kept in the closet in the North, says Cpl. Len DelPino.

And in an attempt to divert the efforts spent on enforcing the illegal uses of alcohol and drugs, DelPino, the drug awareness co-ordinator for the North, brought the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (DARE) to the North.

In its second year of operation, the DARE program is a success with the grades 5 and 6 students it targets.

"We thought we could reduce the demand for enforcement through a pro-active approach aimed at reaching kids," said DelPino.

"We want to get to the kids before they actually try anything, we want to give them the tools to make the right decisions."

The three substances DARE focuses on are tobacco, alcohol and marijuana -- the gateway drugs.

"DARE calls them the gateway drugs because one leads to another and to another -- it's a progression of use," says DelPino.

As part of some school's curriculums, grade 5 and 6 students participate in the 17-week drug awareness, self-esteem building program through role playing, essays and classroom sessions.

At the beginning of the program, students take an oath swearing to be drug free, well behaved, to attend classes and to participate.

"DARE taught me to stay away from alcohol and drugs because I don't want to get cancer and they're bad for you," said grade 5 student Cheryl Martin, at her DARE graduation at Dettah's Kaw Tay Whee School Monday night.

Dettah school teacher Ron Cleary said the DARE program is a nice compliment to the Dreamcatchers program at Edmonton's Grant McQwen College that Dettah's grade 7 and 8 students attend.

"With DARE we can catch the younger students faster and teach them and it will be easier in the long run," said Cleary.

"It's exceptional to have someone from the Yellowknife force come out and teach our kids, I've seen it open a lot of student's eyes."

The DARE program is instructed by uniformed police officers who serve as positive role models for the students and with whom a positive rapport is developed.

"DARE is very a much a partnership with the schools and the community," says DelPino.

"And it is also important for the parents to be involved too, so they are aware of the pressures their children face."

There are 12 classes at various schools in Yellowknife that have recently graduated or will be graduating within the next few weeks.

Originally started in the winter of 1998 in Hay River, Fort Simpson and Yellowknife, DelPino has increased the number of programs to 12 this year.

"My ideal would be to have every community receive the DARE program."