DRUG RESISTANCE PROGRAM'S POPULARITY ON THE RISE

The local DARE program is gaining momentum.

Two officers from the Deer Lake RCMP detachment, Cpl. Scott Morrison and
Const. Wayne Nichols, are in high demand thanks to their training as Drug
Abuse Resistance Education instructors.

The popular international program gives children the skills they need to
avoid the all too common pitfalls of drugs and violence.

DARE was created 20 years ago in Los Angeles. Since then it has spread
across the U.S. and into 54 countries around the world. It consists of a
series of police-led classroom lessons and activities from Kindergarten to
Grade 12 which teach kids how to resist peer pressure and lead more
productive lives.

Cpl. Morrison and Const. Nichols are currently working with Grade 6
students at Deer Lake Elementary and Pasadena Elementary, but the demand
for their services is growing. The pair are teaching six classes between
the two schools and they'd like to see that number increase next year.

"There's a primary course for kids from Kindergarten to Grade 4, but we
haven't approached the schools with that idea yet," Cpl. Morrison said.
"The response has been excellent so far.

"We'd like to involve Grade 6 classes right through the district. There are
a number of classes in (White Bay) we'd like to have covered as well.
Unfortunately, we were a little bit late getting started this year. But
we're hoping to cover all the schools next year."

Const. Nichols said the schools in the area have been quick to pick up on
the program. And judging by the response of the children at one of the Deer
Lake classes, so have the students. It's easy to see why DARE is the
world's largest and most successful drug and violence awareness program.
The Deer Lake Elementary students were clamouring to get in on the lesson.
The most recent session centred around the theme of bolstering self esteem
and self worth and the Grade 6 students couldn't get enough of it.
According to Const. Nichols, school administrators feel the same.

"Last year the school had two DARE classes," Const. Nichols said. "But once
they got a taste of the program the schools involved wanted to do more
classes."

DARE also helps build a relationship between youngsters and police
officers. Cpl. Morrison feels the opportunity to share a laugh while
teaching kids some important lessons will pay off in more ways than one.

"A big part of the program is student participation," Cpl. Morrison said.
"We interact with the kids and they interact among themselves.

"I think that's one of the reasons kids enjoy the program so much. It's
also one of the reasons that they stop seeing us as just police officers.
At first they can't get past the uniforms, but after a couple of classes
they don't even see it."

This year's crop of DARE students will earn their graduation certificates
in a couple of months. But the program doesn't end there. Cpl. Morrison
hopes he and his colleague will ba able to work with the students as they
make their way through high school.

"There is a junior and senior high DARE program as well," Cpl. Morrison
said. "Hopefully one of us will be trained for the high school level
courses so we can take this group of kids and follow them up through the
whole school system ... that's one of the real benefits of the program."