Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services
Inuvik (Jun 22/01) - About 50 Grade 5 students graduated from the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program last week.
Ceremonies were held June 14 at the Sir Alexander Mackenzie gym. Students received their certificates, and 10 got to read aloud their essays (all students had to write an essay about what they had learned).
This is the third year in a row that DARE has been taught at SAMS.
The students were in Maurice Randell's class, and Ms. Mortensen's class.
Corp. Jeff Hurry told the audience the 17-step program was developed in Los Angeles to provide an alternative to substance abuse and other destructive behaviour, such as gang activity.
Hurry said DARE also helps young people develop their ability to assess risks, and resolve conflicts.
"The DARE program was originally developed in 1983 in the United States by the Los Angeles School District, and was brought to Canada in the late 1990s," said Hurry, who taught the program this year along with Corp. Tim Beland.
"School boards felt at the time that an early prevention program would be more beneficial, rather than only trying to reach teens who had already experimented or who were already using drugs."
Hurry said this year about 1,000 children in 15 communities within the NWT will receive DARE instruction.
Sponsors for the program in Inuvik include First Air, Northwest Territories Power Corp., the Royal Canadian Legion's Ladies Auxiliary, and North-Wright Airways.
