Pubdate: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 Source: Regina Leader-Post (CN SN) Copyright: 2008 The Leader-Post Ltd. Contact: http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/361 Author: Heather Polischuk, Leader-Post NEW PROGRAM AIMS TO BUILD A NETWORK The Regina Police Service will soon have a new educational weapon at its disposal in its ongoing war on drugs. Beginning as early as this school year, or perhaps at the beginning of next, RPS school resource officers are expected to start delivering a program called Community Safety Net to Regina students, mainly in Grades 5 to 8. The program is billed as a safety awareness and education initiative that works by creating a network of individuals and organizations that want to protect children. It consists of a booklet and interactive DVD from Gateway Publishing on drug, fire, rural and personal safety. The RPS has approved the drug materials for use in Regina. "It's a perennial challenge to try to educate young people on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse," RPS spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich said. "You're always dealing with new students each year and it seems as though even though the information is out there, sometimes you need to present it in a new and different way in order for the kids to pay attention or to have that message really sink in with them. So it's one of those tasks that requires constant maintenance." Community Safety Net visits communities and community organizations, such as police and fire departments, to help provide safety resources for local children. While in the community, project co-ordinators visit local businesses and merchants to raise awareness and support for the safety initiative. At the end of the campaign, supporting merchants are listed in the book and safety materials are sent to the partnering organization -- in this case, the RPS -- for distribution and use. Lise Bisson, spokeswoman for Community Safety Net, said the program has been used by numerous communities across Canada and the United States. Popowich said one of the strongest aspects of the program is that it's appealing to students, such as the inclusion of an interactive DVD game. "It presents the information in an interesting way and sometimes that's the hook that you need to get the attention of the students," she said, noting the booklet contains plenty of short facts and items that work well for discussion purposes. "And then the interactive DVD game is a step that is a little bit different. I don't think we've ever had that sort of material for our school resource officers before, and it speaks to kids at a level that interests them and in a way that they understand and accept. They're very electronically inclined or very media-savvy and so it's one more way of getting that message and that information out there." While Regina Public Schools has yet to see details of the program, spokesman Terry Lazarou said administration would "work with (police) on initiatives that are mutually beneficial and that help our students become as successful as they can be." A spokesman with Regina Catholic Schools did not return a phone call on Tuesday. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake