'Policy Speech on Drug Abuse Essay\r'

'Some of you whitethorn remember suffer in fifth grade the D.A.R.E song. You know the song or so staying a stylus from medicines and making your own choices. get into on! It had little dance moves that went along with the words. Well if you don’t remember, heres an congressman of the Chapman Elementary school day in capital of Ireland Ohio singing at their D.A.R.E graduation. ( swordplay video) Who went through a computer weapons platform like this in their uncomplicated school? According to the Ocean shoring Police, today D.A.R.E. is organism taught in completely 50 states, in much than than 300,000 classrooms. However, this program is non as momentive as it was originally sought out to be. medicine hollo is a tremendous fuss that must be addressed by the community in order to at fly the coop to in future prevention. Today I provide be talking to you intimately the D.A.R.E program now and how it is slowly losing its popularity, my end on how to change it and how this leave positively effect the younger generations.\r\nD.A.R.E, standing for do medicates Abuse Resistance Education Program, was founded in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department and ultimately spread across the country. move is a primary, or universal prevention program. It targets small fryren and youth before or around the sequence of experimentation, usually 5th graders. Today, the program reaches more than 26 million sisterren every socio-economic class in the United States. The non-profit program uses develop law enforcement officers to teach students near dose and alcohol resistance and prevention, and making severe life choices. The hour-long classes typically run 10 to 17 weeks, depending on the school. The D.A.R.E. program enables students to interact with police officers or sheriffs in a safe and controlled classroom environment. This helps students and officers meet and control each other in a friendly manner.\r\nSince it was founded, D.A.R.E. has expanded to encompass programs for fondness and high up school students, conflict resolution, closed chain prevention, p arnt education, and after-school recreation and learning. The course has alike been revised over the geezerhood as a result of gullk findings and is now more interactive by promoting participation by students. D.A.R.E. has also ceremonious a Scientific Advisory dialog box to aid in self- evaluation and inspire program changes. Kathi Ackerman, director of Minnesota DARE said, â€Å"Its curriculum has been revamped at least 10 times since its creation.” Still, many an(prenominal) regulates energize had to get down the program because it was too expensive and the event did non meet their standards. Julie Olson, director of elementary education said that the Rosemount-Apple Valley regularise had to drop DARE due to their $15 million budget shortfall.\r\nThe district utilise the program for two decades; however it was stir intercourse f rom 18 elementary schools, saving the district $50,000 annually. Although the program has said it involves plaza and high school students, research found that 80% of primary school students had experienced round D.A.R.E. education, further only 20% of middle school students and 10% of high school students were exposed to any follow-up drug use prevention. This is matchless of the great weaknesses at heart the program. Without a follow up lesson, kids tend to forget what they learned or b arly think it does non apply to them anymore. no matter of the positives DARE teaches, being exposed to these lessons in only one grade is not enough for it to become a way of life.\r\nIf we ask the question, does DARE help harbor healthy attitudes about drug use, amplification knowledge and awareness of addiction, and increase skills grand for youth to have, then the answer is without a doubt yes. However is this enough for our children? Their lives are at s manoeuvre and if we do not s ee results, then we are not effectively doing our job. What the critics fail to recognize, is that no angiotensin-converting enzyme program give the sack be expect to have a lasting effect by itself. Namely, no one destiny in prevention is sufficient in and of itself to reduce the prevalence of drug use. For this reason, I propose an updated reading material of the DARE program. A version that will run passim middle and high school, involve the parents, schools teachers, cleverness and staff. This new program will move on with all that is already in the DARE program; however, it will also include leaf node speakers, field trips and give on activities.\r\nVolunteer guest speakers will range from previously abusive drug and alcohol users, current abusers and families of those that have lost a loved one to the indisposition of addiction. The lack of shock and â€Å"in your boldness” types of actions are what the current DARE program is missing. This may be due to the occurrence that its primary age group for students is in the elementary school level. Kids in middle and high school need to see these types of people for it to positively effect them. I know that every teenager thinks they are invincible and that they give notice do anything. They have the mindset, â€Å"That could never be me.” I did, but boy did I get a news flash when I went on a field trip with my outlaw justice class to the Nassau Jail.\r\nA few of the inmates volunteered to tell their stories. There was this one beautiful girl sitting in the corner and I honestly ideal she was part of staff, until she stood up and told her story about drug addiction. She happened to live in my town. How queasy is that? That definitely hit home to many of the students in my class. This is the type of shock measure we need to express to our children for them to understand the actual reality that ones actions can lead to.\r\nWe can throw all of these stories onto a child or teenag er, yet it cannot stop there. Parents who play a vital role in a child’s life, have to impose their influence on finish making to lead towards healthy choices. deep down the program there will be parent and teacher seminars which will explain what the children are learning, the ways they are being taught and ways the enceintes can reenforce the lessons. The seminars for adults will also include the same guest speakers and opportunities to take the same field trips that the children go on.\r\nFinally these seminars will include how to abide by signs of addiction, ways to sufficiently help your child and contact information for specialized therapists, refilling centers and anonymous support groups. Some may see this as to be a bit heavy and too very much for their children ages 10-18 to go through; however this is the abrasive reality. We need to take action and take action now!\r\nDrug abuse is still a popular hysteria amongst teenagers even with prevention programs l ike DARE. Obviously, we as a community are not effectively doing our jobs. With a revised version of DARE, students, parents and teachers will be able to cypher together to prevent this fad from reoccurring. Having reach on activities, guest speakers, field trips and adult seminars will create a more sufficient program to lead children towards a healthy future. Now think back to the DARE song that Chapman Elementary civilize performed. Can we only teach our children a cute song or can we actually send a gist that will stick?\r\n'