Another forty area police officers joined the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, undertaking training to allow them to teach high school students how to resist peer pressure and drug use.
Lt. Col. Chanya Munmuang, directing inspector of Phuphin Police Station in Chiang Mai, presided over the start of the latest D.A.R.E. training program for police officers July 9 at the Sea Breeze Hotel in Pattaya.
Pol. Lt. Col. Chanya Munmunag (center, with microphone), introduces her team to the next batch of police officers (not shown) to be taught the D.A.R.E. project in Pattaya.
D.A.R.E., founded in 1983 in the United States, came to Thailand in 1999 and works to give kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence.
To prepare for teaching the D.A.R.E. program in schools, police officers undergo 80 hours of training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques, and communication skills. Another 40 hours of additional training are provided to D.A.R.E. instructors to prepare them to teach the high school curriculum.
Lessons aim to give children the skills needed to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs or become involved in gangs or violent activities. Officers teach one hour per week for 13 weeks.
