Personnel from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) gave the certificates to the officers during the activity.”]San Jose, Costa Rica. DARE program celebrated 20 years of existence in Costa Rica, last November 1st.
They had an activity in which 44 officers were given recognition certificates. The officers are members of the Costa Rican Public Force, and instructors that have taken the required training to educate children, teenagers, and adults through the DARE program.
Personnel from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) gave the certificates to the officers during the activity.
“This is a very important day for the Police, because we are celebrating the existence of DARE in our country, which is taken to the students by policemen and women to prevent them from getting into drugs,” said Walter Navarro, Vice-minister of Public Security.
The initiative of bringing to Costa Rica the Drug and Violence Prevention program came from Ana de Quirós, who contacted DARE America and the Costa Rican Government for its implementation.
According to the Ministry of Public Security, DARE has been taught in Costa Rica since june 13, 1991. The program reaches schools in several provinces, with trained officers who know about handling a classroom, teaching methods, and communication skills.
In 20 years of existence, DARE has helped 1.7 million children throughout the seven provinces.
The program also helps parents since 2006. The Public Force has already given the program to more than a million parents.
Franklin Ruiz, DARE’s head officer, confirmed that the approximately 2 million minors taught by DARE are children in middleschools and highschools.
DARE is accomplished by courses, speeches, trainings, and workshops in middleschools and highschools, also in communities and corporations throughout the country.
To give DARE, officers are carefully selected and participate in an intensive program of more than 80 hours in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques, and communication improvement skills.
According to DARE, their main goal is to bring the attention over the dangerous effects and consequences of drug use and abuse.
by Paola Rodríguez for TheCostaRicaNews.com
