GRADE 5S HEAR ABOUT DRUG DANGERS

From attempting to walk a straight line while
wearing impaired-vision goggles to watching a car
rollover simulation, local Grade 5 students were taught
safety, injury prevention and substance-abuse awareness
during Youth Against Drugs week, April 24-27, at Whites Station
garage in Central Elgin.

Organized by the Youth Against Drugs Committee, Youth Against Drugs
is a drug awareness program based on the RCMP's Racing Against Drugs
program that uses the theme of auto racing at 11 different
interactive "pit stops," manned by community partners including
police, firefighters and paramedics, and members of industry,
education, health and service industries, to encourage youth to lead
a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

"The kids love it and the teachers love it too," said Kristie Jones,
chairwoman of the Youth Against Drugs Committee. "It really fits in
with the Grade 5 curriculum in a lot of different ways."

One of the pit stops that students really enjoy, said Jones, is
manned by two local youth race car drivers -- David Waite, a
17-year-old student from Parkside Collegiate Institute, and Brandon
Ronald, 13, who attends New Sarum Public School.

"Because they're their peers, the kids really look up to them.
They're amazing teachers," said Jones.

"The kids come in, we tell them about ourselves and what drugs can
do to your reaction time, which, in racing, is one of the biggest
things," said Waite.

"We tell them why you shouldn't do drugs, what they can do to you
and what's not safe," said Ronald.

The youth who is able to tell Waite and Ronald why it's important to
be at the Youth Against Drugs exhibition, gets the opportunity to
climb into Ronald's half-scale CASCAR.

Students over at the Mothers Against Drunk Driving booth were
getting the message, after attempting to walk in a straight line and
catch a ball while wearing impaired-vision goggles.

"This is going to teach us a lot and not to try it (alcohol), even
if people try to talk you into it," said 10-year-old Leslie Ruggeri,
a student at Edward Street Public School. "(I learned) not to do it
(drink alcohol). You can't see when you do."

The Youth Against Drugs program has been teaching Grade 5 students
healthy lifestyle choices for the past four years. In all, 17 local
schools participated.