STUDENTS DARE TO CHOOSE THEIR POSITIVE PATHS

Fernie RCMP officer Mike Casault is helping more than 95 Fernie youth to
choose a positive path in life and make informed decisions about some of
life's hardest confrontations.

Casault has been visiting Fernie schools for the past several weeks as an
official DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) instructor.

Introduced to children in the fifth or sixth grade, DARE teaches kids to be
assertive and to deal with peer pressure by saying no effectively and how
to respond when a friend pressures them to use alcohol or drugs.

Taught in 56 countries around the world, DARE is an international program
that informs students about alternatives to drugs and violence. It is
taught by a police officer in uniform to students in both elementary and
secondary schools.

"It (the program) has worked well in other communities," Casault said. "Now
whether or not it will work in Fernie it's too early to say-ask me when
they're all old and gray."

DARE began in 1983 as a joint program between the Los Angeles Police
Department and the LA School District. It was designed to help combat the
growing problems of drugs, gangs and violence.

"It's a way of getting us into the schools to provide some form of
knowledge of what drugs, alcohol and tobacco do," Casault said. "And it's
also a way for us to address issues like peer pressure, different ways to
say no and to give them some options and knowledge of the drugs."

Casault was made aware of a B.C. DARE Program a year-and-a-half ago and
after some phone calls and inquiries he was able to bring it to Fernie. The
program replaces the PACE (Police and Community Education) program that was
in place before. Casault uses a variety of resources to get the point
across including videos, skits, speakers and personal experience.

"We're making them (the students) think and brainstorm and discuss and
debate (about drugs)," Casault, who was specially trained for the program,
said. "We're not just telling them-they're thinking about it before they
get exposed to it. We give them the information and they can make an
informed decision.

"Education is important. If we let these kids know the consequences, their
decisions will be better informed."

Casault says once the 17-week-long program is completed, more than 200
Fernie youth will be been affected in some way by DARE.