A decade has past since the first classroom lesson of the D.A.R.E. curriculum was presented. Educating our children is no longer the only focus of the nation's premier drug abuse and violence prevention program. The classroom is no longer the only stage upon which D.A.R.E. offers to broaden the awareness and develop the life skills necessary to curbing drug abuse and violence. It is no longer just a war on drugs. Society will not prevail against these social ills until families get involved, it is therefore essential that prevention programs target adults as well.
Education remains our most effective weapon in combating drug use and violence.
The Hawaii Police Department, in partnership with the State of Hawaii Department of Education hosted the largest Team D.A.R.E. Summer Leadership Camp ever on the Big Island with 54 participants. Offering workshops on peer mediation, conflict resolution and problem solving augment the recreational activities and community service projects during the popular three day summer program. Too often, society concentrates on the negatives of our youth. Research has long discovered that high self esteem is an important ingredient in the development of a child. 125 parents, including 19 female inmates at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center took advantage of the six week D.A.R.E. Parent Program presented by the department's D.A.R.E. officers.