Pubdate: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 Source: Carthage Press, The (MO) Copyright: 2004 The Carthage Press Contact: http://www.carthagepress.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1731 Author: Dennis W. Sowers Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) OFFICER SEEKS NEW WAYS TO IMPROVE DARE PROGRAM It's not every national conference you can go to and meet an old friend. Kevin Provins, D.A.R.E. officer for the Carthage Police Department, has that experience every year he goes to a conference. He gets to renew acquaintances with some of the 36 officers he started D.A.R.E. training with in 1991 in Jefferson City. "The education of becoming a D.A.R.E. officer is very intense -- a lot of study and a lot of late nights," Provins said. Out of intensity, bonds are made and lessons are learned. Networking with fellow D.A.R.E. officers can speed up the process. Officers can share what works, what are the problems and trends, share knowledge and, of course, meet old friends. This year officers met a new friend -- the New D.A.R.E. Program. The curriculum , to be tested among 80 schools, was developed by the Institute for Health and Social Policy at the University of Akron. The pilot programs will be funded by a $ 13.7 million grant from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation of Princeton, N.J. "The biggest change in what we're doing is our teaching method," Provins said. "It's a lot less talking at children." "I think most kids have heard about the dangers of drugs. We want to be a reliable source to tell them the right information. We want them to show their thoughts and feelings about drugs." Students will learn facts and share observations. Provins said D.A.R.E. officers learned that the current drug trends indicate a rise in marijuana and heroin use. Of course, in this area of the country, meth is always a concern. There's some good news. A recent survey of the nation's high-school students by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that the teen smoking rate has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade, the Associated Press reported June 17. According to the study, 22 percent of high-school students said they smoked in 2003, down from 36 percent in 1997. Last year, 58 percent of students said they tried smoking, a substantial drop from the 70 percent of students who tried smoking in 1999. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh