OPP D.A.R.E.s KIDS TO AVOID DRUGS

Prince Edward County OPP Const. Kim Guthrie wants local students to
know the first time they try drugs could be the last.

Guthrie, the community services officer for the Prince Edward
detachment will introduce the Drug Abuse Resistance Education
(D.A.R.E.) program to Grade 6 students in the municipality's eight
elementary schools beginning this fall.

D.A.R.E. replaces the V.I.P. program previously used and Guthrie said
the new program will better illustrate the dangers of drug use. "I'm
really excited about D.A.R.E. because I think it will be an excellent
tool to help reach the kids and help them better understand how
dangerous drug use is," she said. "The V.I.P. program was very good
but there was no set curriculum so you could have different officers
talking about very different things. With D.A.R.E., the curriculum is
set the message these kids get will be very consistent."

Established by the Los Angeles Police Department and the city's school
board in 1984, Guthrie had to undergo an intensive two-week training
session in Aylmer to obtain certification to become a D.A.R.E.
officer. Students in Prince Edward County will be the first in the
Quinte region to utilize the program.

The program is scheduled to last 10 weeks with Guthrie attending each
school once each week over that period. Four schools will be
introduced to the program this fall while the other four will begin in
the winter term.

"D.A.R.E. is developed to target kids who are 11 or 12 and is all
about awareness and helping them make educated choices and responses,"
she explained. "If someone offers them marijuana, it's not enough to
say - 'no, my parents would kill me,' but this will allow them to make
educated responses like - 'no because this is what marijuana can do to
me.' These kids need to understand that the first time they try drugs
might be the last because they can kill you."

Each student will receive their own planner to work from during the
program as well as a D.A.R.E. tee shirt. Guthrie said the planner
should help parents discuss drug issues with their children.

"The planner is very interactive with games and things to help spark
communication at home. A letter will be sent home after each class so
parents know exactly where we are."

Although there is no cost to the students taking the course, Guthrie
said it will cost $9 per student for the materials and to administer
the cost of the program for almost 300 students across the
municipality.

"The Picton Legion Branch 78 and the Picton Elk's Club have
contributed to the program so far but we still need more help to cover
the costs," said Guthrie. "The great thing about D.A.R.E. is, it's not
only good for the students, but it's great for the community as well."