Drug Abuse Resistance Education - Term Paper Example

?D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a substance abuse prevention program that provides children with the necessary skills to shun participation in ‘drugs, gangs and violence.’ D.A.R.E. was the brain child of Chief of Police Daryl Gates. He believed ‘early education and prevention’ would win the battle against drug abuse and addiction in children and subsequently in adults (Leis 2009). D.A.R.E. began in 1983 with Chief of Police Daryl Gates, ten police officers and a few children. Today D.A.R.E. caters to children from kindergarten to 12th grade, has 50,000 plus officers at its disposal and is present in all 50 States across America as well as in 43 countries around the world. These 43 countries vary in languages and are spread across the globe. Anguilla, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Iceland, Cuba, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Norway, Spain, South Korea, United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Wales and St. Maarten are some of the countries which have embraced D.A.R.E. as a means of assisting them in the fight against drug abuse and violence. D.A.R.E. signifies a collaborative effort to reduce crime between ‘local schools and law enforcement personnel’ (Leis 2009). Interestingly, local D.A.R.E. programs were found to be so effective that both national and international stakeholders clamored for the creation of an umbrella organization. This massive demand led to the establishment of D.A.R.E. America, a major resource to improve the quality of the local D.A.R.E. programs. This non-profit organization offers officer training provides educational materials for students, assesses the D.A.R.E. curriculum as well as the standards of instruction and program effectiveness. D.A.R.E. America generates consciousness in the minds of the American citizens about D.A.R.E. Police officers are trained and certified to present classroom lessons to children from kindergarten to 12th grade. These children are taught the skills necessary to withstand peer pressure and thus live their lives without the influence of drugs and violence. Training of officers to present at these D.A.R.E. programs is a rigorous process. Officers are required to participate in 80 hours of ‘special training’ in ‘child development, classroom management, teaching techniques and communication skills’. An additional 40 hours of training in high school curriculum is necessary for D.A.R.E. instructors. Internationally D.A.R.E. is considered to be a representation of community policing. The United States Department of Justice has highlighted several valuable contributions of D.A.R.E. to local communities. Two major benefits include a seamless relationship between the young people and the police and opportunities for there to be open communication/dialogues between the school, police and parents. It is quite easy to begin a D.A.R.E. program in one’s community. A signed written agreement between the Superintendent of Schools and the Chief of police I submitted to D.A.R.E. America indicating the desires of both parties to implement the program and the guarantee that the police officers would participate and complete the required D.A.R.E. training. Generally, there is no charge for the tuition to officers. However, some training centers may charge a small fee. The requesting institutions would usually pay for the lodging and meal expenses of their officers. For the first year both instructor’s materials and students’ workbooks are supplied free of charge to the officers and students in question. Hence a starter kit is supplied to these communities free of charge for the first year. D.A.R.E. in its 28 years life span has received endless praise for its work in public awareness of drug abuse and gang violence from a wide range of members of society. However, no commendation is as distinguished as its first Presidential proclamation since 1988 of a national D.A.R.E. Day. Subsequent to this date each year is marked with a Presidential Proclamation declaring one day in the year as the national D.A.R.E. Day. Although D.A.R.E. has received high acclamation from every dimension of government it has also been criticized for its efficacy, its content, its sacrifice of excessive academic time and its high monetary cost. In terms of efficacy, the authors of ‘stop the drug war’ have posited that there is no empirical evidence to prove that the D.A.R.E. program indeed prevents kids from participating in a drug filled life. Secondly, they claim that the content of D.A.R.E. is ‘muddled and confusing’ in that kids are told to say ‘no’ to drugs but they are not told out rightly that they must not use drugs or given a definition of drug abuse to name a few. Further, these critics argue that just about seventeen hours of academic work which could have been devoted to academics is spent on D.A.R.E. Finally, opponents purport that D.A.R.E. costs too much money without providing evidence that it can indeed prevent kids from becoming dependent on drugs. It is estimated that D.A.R.E. costs approximately $750,000,000 per year. Nonetheless, D.A.R.E. continues to thrive in the United States and the other member nations around the world. It still is known as the most popular drug and violence prevention program in the United States. Conclusion Thus, one can conclude that D.A.R.E. is a highly intensive drug, gang and violence prevention program that caters to the needs of children from kindergarten to 12th grade. These children are exposed to strategies on how to avoid a life clouded by the avalanche of drug use and violence. Although D.A.R.E. has been criticized for its efficacy, content and consummation of too much time and money its critics cannot deny the fact that it indeed touches the lives of millions of young people across the globe. This year’s National D.A.R.E. Day marked the 23rd anniversary of such a Presidential Proclamation. From its inception in Los Angeles in 1983 with ten officers and a few children to more than 50,000 officers and a clientele of millions of children throughout the world, D.A.R.E. has truly travelled a great journey. It is expected that D.A.R.E. will continue this great journey and like a river it will nourish those who cross its path. D.A.R.E. is set to prove to its critics that it is effective in its reduction of youths and consequently societies’ engagement with drugs and gang violence. We, the clients of D.A.R.E. expect a reduction in crime due to drug abuse and gang violence in every nation in which D.A.R.E. has a representation. D.A.R.E. is now called upon to prove its worth and the tremendous value that it holds for each of its member nation Works Cited D.A.R.E. The Official D.A.R.E. Web Site Drug Abuse Resistance Education, 1996. Web. 25 Feb. 2011. Leis, Jr. Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, 2009. Web 26 Feb. 2011. Stop the Drug War, 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2011. Read More