Castlegar DAREs to do things differently
By Kyra Hoggan
The Police Beat has been pretty slow of late – but that doesn’t mean cops aren’t hard at work in our community.
Castlegar RCMP Const. Rob Gardner, for example, has spent the last several weeks at local elementary schools, delivering the DARE program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education).
“We give kids the tools and information they need to make healthy decisions in their lives,” Gardner said. “We teach them about a decision-making model – a different DARE – Define the problem, Assess the problem, Respond with a choice, then Evaluate whether it was the right choice.”
He said this model teaches kids the critical thinking required to not only make good decisions, but to learn from the bad ones so they needn’t be repeated.
“The kids are excited when I come in,” he said. “They’re very attentive, and they really get involved and share their ideas.”
This is Gardner’s first year delivering the program, and he said the kids have offered him some pleasant surprises.
“What surprised me is that they know a lot more than we would give them credit for,” he said. “Like when it comes to the negative health effects of smoking … they’re very knowledgable.”
The 10-week course is now winding up, and Gardner said he hopes to see Kinnaird Grade 5-ers graduate just before the Spring Break, while Twin Rivers and Robson participants will graduate just after the holiday.
For more information on DARE or other community policing programs in Castlegar, contact the detachment at 250-365-7721.
Comments