Pubdate: Sat, 25 Jul 2009
Source: Journal-Pioneer, The (CN PI)
Page: 4
Copyright: 2009 Journal-Pioneer
Contact: http://www.journalpioneer.com/index.cfm?pid=4444
Website: http://www.journalpioneer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2789
Author: Noah Richardson
Note: Noah Richardson is a Grade 8 student at Summerside Intermediate School.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

SOME YOUTHS DARE TO TAKE A STAND

I will remember a terrifying sound forever. It was a wretched scream. 
The scream of a girl just before her boyfriend's car collided with an 
oncoming tractor-trailer.

This girl was soon to be the victim of impaired driving. Her 
boyfriend had gotten in his car with her while under the influence 
and lost control of the vehicle.

His life was spared. Unfortunately, the girl died immediately upon impact.

This was only a sound clip I heard during a presentation a few months 
ago at school. Norbert Georget a former paramedic from Saskatchewan 
gave the presentation on impaired driving and drug and alcohol abuse.

During the presentation, Georget showed grizzly photos of mangled 
vehicles and dead bodies, all victims of impaired driving.

He recalls responding to a vehicle accident involving alcohol almost 
every day during his career. He has found hundreds of young Canadians 
dead at crash sites. All of them had made the same decision: to drive drunk.

Georget says during most impaired driving accidents death occurs 
within 30 seconds of impact.

Driving while impaired is a major cause of death in Canada. Thousands 
of Canadian lives are lost each year because of people's decisions to 
get behind the wheel while under the influence. It is the number 1 
cause of death among youths in Canada.

This presentation was not my first lecture on the subject. I, like 
many of you, was not totally aware of the dangers of drugs and 
alcohol until taught by a very special person last year.

Const. Lorna DeWare is a seasoned 10-year veteran with the Summerside 
City Police Services and the instructor of the DARE program. DARE 
(Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is taught at the Grade 5 and 6 
levels at Summerside elementary schools and focuses on the effects of 
peer pressure and the dangers of drugs, alcohol and cigarette smoking.

DeWare also explains the toll alcohol takes on young bodies and the 
side effects of under-aged drinking.

The colourful workbooks given to each student contain various lessons 
and activities used to help prevent drug abuse.

DeWare came into the classroom for each weekly session in full 
uniform and tried to maintain a welcoming presence in the school. She 
remained at the school during lunch hour and chatted with students on 
the playground.

She admits she loves teaching the lessons but her favourite part of 
the program is interacting with the students.

"I am a people person," she says. "Everybody has a unique personality 
and I like the down time."

This was not just a job for her, it was a mission. She was determined 
to have every young person completely educated on the dangers of 
drugs and alcohol.

Drugs, such as marijuana, are memory loss drugs. They can increase 
the rate of the heart, cause dizziness and slurred speech.

There are 200 known poisons in cigarette smoke and smoking is also 
the number 1 cause of lung cancer in Canada. It is important for us 
to realize the dangers of these substances.

Peer pressure can lead to drug use and smoking. It is important to 
learn how to get out of tough situations and to use good judgment. 
Learning how to say no to someone may be one of the most important 
lessons you will learn in life.

If you find yourself in a jam, think about the consequences that 
follow your actions.

Instead of making an unwise decision, I would think back to my 
previous DARE lessons.

I think DARE was an essential part of my education. This program is 
beneficial to today's youth. DARE is not only offered in Summerside, 
over 36 million children in 54 countries worldwide participate in DARE.

Constable Deware is a role model for me. I look up to her. She has a 
wonderful personality that allows her to interact with students.

Programs like DARE and presentations by professionals like Norbert 
Georget are essential components of today's education. Today's youth 
are tomorrow's future and we must continue to learn to think before we act.

As Norbert Georget says, "We are not born winners, we are born choosers."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom