PROGRAM DARES STUDENTS TO SAY 'NO'

The radio crackled with a dispatcher's voice.

A twelve-year-old boy had drank himself into an alcohol-induced
coma.

His peers were in shock, one crying and himself drunk, while another,
stone sober, had made the call.

The paramedics asked why he didn't drink with his friends?

"I'll never drink," he answered. "I did the DARE program with
Constable Dan."

And that's how Cnst. Dan Herbranson found out it works.

Last year, 11 schools and 45 classes from Grades 5 to 7 graduated from
the unique 10-week program he teaches.

"The kids become comfortable with me as a police officer," Herbranson
said.

"For me, a barrier is broken right down."

At Highland Park elementary, where Herbranson has been delivering the
program for the past few weeks, the students were very
comfortable.

Breezy shot up to answer her question and toppled over her
chair.

There were laughs and giggles, role plays and quick
answers.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program helps elementary students
to increase their self-esteem and provides them with the knowledge and
skills to refuse drugs and resist violence.

In 10 weeks, the students learn about cigarettes, marijuana and
alcohol, gain skills to fend off peer pressure and "have fun," said
Herbranson. "It's hard to measure the effectiveness of the program,"
he added, "but even if I get to one kid, it is a success. It is very
important for them to make their own minds up about this stuff."

Most kids are exposed to drugs and alcohol at an early age and are
vulnerable to experimenting with them. The risk, however, varies from
child to child.

The students at Highland Park were quick to point out why drugs and
alcohol are bad.

"Cigarettes give you yellow fingers and smelly breath," said a
girl.

"They can cause tooth decay, cancer and you can die," said a
boy.

"There's 400 chemicals in pot," said another girl.

Herbranson said, "Giving them the skills to say no is invaluable. Peer
pressure only comes from kids your age. It is awareness, we have to
identify it as a problem."

A survey by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Ontario
revealed that in 2003, 30 per cent of high school students used
cannabis in the past year, while about 14 percent of students smoke on
a daily basis.

Herbranson said it is necessary to give youth tools when they are
younger.

He is the only officer in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows RCMP detachment
who is trained to deliver the program and his resources are stretched.

"I haven't got to all the schools as yet," Herbranson said. "But more
and more are requesting it."

An auxiliary officer is currently being trained to teach DARE and by
next year the detachment hopes to target more schools.

The DARE program costs $3 per child. Support the program by donating
recycling refunds to DARE dollars at the Changes Recycling, 22703
Lougheed Highway.