The Saline County Sheriff's Office implemented the D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program in Salina and Saline County in August of 1990. The program targets elementary students abuse, usage and experimentation of illegal substances and violent acts. Since the program's conception, we have also implemented the D.A.R.E. Junior High and Senior High Programs serving five school districts.
The D.A.R.E.'s keepin' it REAL Curriculum is designed based onthe Socio-Emotional Learning Theory (SEL). SEL identifies fundamentals, basic skills and developmental processes needed for healthy development including: self-awareness and management, responsible decision making, understanding others, relationship and communication skills, and handling responsibities and challenges. The curriculum uses this theory to teach youth to control thier impulses and think about risks and consequences resulting in more responsible choices. We believe that if you can teach youth to make safe and responsible decisions, this guides them to healthy choices not only about drugs, but across all parts of their lives. As they grow to be responsible ctizens,they wil lead healthier and more productive drug-free lives.
The ten lessons are arranged in a scaffolding process, starting with the basics about responsibility and decision making and then building on each other allowing students to develop their own responses to real life situations. The very 1st lesson starts with responsibility and introduces decision making with subsequent lessons applying these skills in increasing complex ways to drug use and other choices in their lives.
IT is D.A.R.E.'s vision that youth who think their way though situations, make better choices that are not impulsive, communicate, and relate to people, will be drug-free and more successful in all areas of their lives.