The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

20 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 2, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com D.A.R.E. program shows students how to make good life choices By Cecilia Stuart GRADE 5, ST. VINCENT Do you like to play truth or dare? If you do, you will love D.A.R.E. It stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and teaches Grade 6 students how to make good life choices. Okay, so maybe it's not the same as truth or dare but it's just as good. D.A.R.E. was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 by a group of police officers. These officers are trained as coaches who teach kids to say no to drugs and smoking. Officers use brain imagery to show students the bad effects of drugs on the brain. Children are smoking at much younger ages than you would like to believe and this program can help kids turn away. Why will kids do drugs? Teens can resort to drugs because of peer pressure, stress, abuse or just to feel "cool". Scientists have found more than 50 reasons for Come Enjoy the Flavour of Mardi Gras. Without the Arbitrary Looting. why kids do drugs (e.g. weak family structure), but there are two common paths that lead to drug use: one is to feel good or be cool, this is called "self medicating," the other is to reduce stress like abuse or poverty or just to feel normal. What's happening with teens and their parents? Most parents are afraid to talk to their teens, so if those teens had taken D.A.R.E., it would be easier for everyone. Parents have the right to be concerned about their child because drugs are now illegally sold to young people. What can parents do? If they suspect their child is using drugs, they must talk to them as soon as possible. If their child can reach the age of 20 without using drugs, they will most likely not become addicted. Remember; if your child is using drugs don't be afraid to get professional help! Nicholas Oswald, a Grade 6 student from St. Vincent School was asked about D.A.R.E. He said that the program "teaches us how to handle and resist drugs and teaches very important lessons that will help us in the future, and I will certainly not do drugs. We learned how to make good deci- sions. We learn not to smoke, use drugs and drink alcohol. We learn why they are addictive and we learn about peer pressure and how it can be used positively and negatively." To complete the program you must have your D.A.R.E. planner filled out, have not taken illegal drugs or smoked during the program, you must write an essay about what you learned in D.A.R.E., how you feel about it and why it's important. D.A.R.E. has continued to expand since 1983. There are programs in all of the 50 states and in all of the provinces, with the exception of Quebec. D.A.R.E is now taught as a follow up in high school. Where would we be without D.A.R.E.? It helps children in many parts of the world to understand that drug use can permanently affect their life. Brochures, Catalogues, Annual Reports, Publications, Newsletters, Tabloids, Flyers, Magazines, Newspapers, Presentation Folders Metroland West Printing Group Specializing in High Quality Colour Printing & Publications. Quality and service guaranteed. Please call for a professional consultative approach to your printing needs (905) 845-4549 or (905) 827-2306 The Oakville Beaver The Canadian Champion Media Group Ltd. Your printing, advertising and distribution partner in your community.