D.A.R.E.
D.A.R.E. was developed and started in 1983 by members of the LAPD and the Los Angeles Unified School District. The emphasis of the D.A.R.E. Program is to help students recognize and resist the many subtle pressures that influence them to experiment with drugs, gangs, and violence. In addition program strategies are planned to focus on feelings relating to self esteem, interpersonal and communication skills, decision making and positive alternatives to drug abuse behaviors.
D.A.R.E. - Elementary School Program
D.A.R.E. is a comprehensive 17 week curriculum taught to the fifth grade classes at the Windham Manchester School. This program's focus is to educate children in resistance to drugs and violence.
The program is provided at no cost to the schools or the students. All funds for D.A.R.E. are donated to the police department from the Windham Police Association (Patrol Members). The support from the schools administrators and teachers has been overwhelming.
Input from parents has been and still is very positive, but most of all the students have been very enthusiastic about the program. For more information visit to the national website.
D.A.R.E . - Middle School Program
In School year 2002 - 2003 we implemented the D.A.R.E. Middle School Program. This curriculum provides the necessary follow through that the D.A.R.E. program had been lacking here in Windham in past years. Our goal through the Community Services Office and D.A.R.E. is to provide the youth of this community with the skills needed to resist drugs and violence.
The D.A.R.E. Middle School Program provides these skills to your children through a ten lesson curriculum taught in a more mature fashion than the fifth grade program. These lessons as well as the fifth grade curriculum meet the Maine Learning Results for health curriculum and have actually been written into the Windham School System's Health Curriculum.
D.A.R.E. to Adventure
D.A.R.E. to Adventure was stared in 1996 by former CSO Peter Fulton. This program is based on the ideals and curriculum of Outward Bound, The Wilderness Education Association, and the Boy Scouts of America.
Based in the Windham Middle School its focus is to service the youth of the community by providing alternative activities that teach healthy risk taking, resiliency and sound decision making in an adventure based program setting.
Windham D.A.R.E. to Adventure is based upon the belief that the successful acquisition of these skills will protect or insulate students against substance abuse, prepare students to benefit more successfully from the school setting and help form the competence needed to confront life's challenges.
D.A.R.E. to Adventure targets 24 students and attempts to give them the above outlined skill. In the past our means of delivering these skill was to involve the students in adventures such as, winter camping, canoeing, sea kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, ropes courses, games, and smaller days trips to historical parks. During these trips the students interact with each other, hired guides, teachers, members of the community and the Community Services Officer. As learning circumstances present themselves the facilitators take the opportunity to teach the students where Math, English, History, Health, Science, Ecology, and Geography are important in everyday life.
D.A.R.E. to Adventure at this point is provided at no cost to the schools or its students. Funds are raised with a concessions trailer and various other means. The trailer is operated at the skate park and the proceeds are retained for the Dare to Adventure Program.
This is a superior program that the department would like to expand. To understand the benefits of this program it takes personal involvement to recognize the progress these participants make.