The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Many times, drug and alcohol awareness programs aimed at young people come off as too preachy in the view of their audiences. That's probably not the case with DARE (Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education), a more interactive approach that began earlier this month at Ruth Betts School. "What I really like about the program is that instead of me professing about the horrible effects of drugs, the students themselves come up with the answers as to why they shouldn't use drugs," said Cst. Nolan Suss of the Flin Flon RCMP, the DARE instructor. "You give the kids the tools with which to make their own choices." One aspect of the DARE program focuses on alcohol and cigarette advertising, which Cst. Suss noted often features "glamourous people smoking and drinking." "DARE teaches the students how to actually see those people for what they are, that they're just trying to sell a product," said Cst. Suss. Developed in the USA by educators and law enforcement, DARE is just the type of approach to drugs and alcohol awareness that today's students need, in the view of Cst. Suss. He pointed out that youth today are often able to identify the various illegal drugs being produced, which wasn't the case when he was growing up. "In the old drug programs, we'd focus on the drugs Ñ this is cocaine, this is pot," said Cst. Suss. "We're not so much focusing on the drugs, but on the consequences of drug use. It wouldn't be very productive if I went in there and bored the students." DARE involves the students performing skits in front of their classmates and writing an essay at the conclusion of the program.
