D.A.R.E. Essay

Sixth grader Taylor-Jordan Tubal shares her reflection on the impact of the D.A.R.E. program:

D.A.R.E Essay

Imagine you're at your friend's house and your friend’s parents aren’t there and your friend takes out beers and a vape and asks you if you want any. What do you do then? Do you say yes and stay or do you say no and leave? If you don’t know what to do, read on to learn what you should do if you are ever in this situation.

This year in D.A.R.E I learned how to say “no” to alcohol and drugs and how to be an effective communicator. Ways to say “no” to alcohol and drugs is walk away, have strength in numbers or be in a group with non-alcohol or drug users, give and excuse like “Sorry I can’t stay and drink with you I have to get home before my mom gets mad,” and you can change the subject and suggested something else to do. Ways to say “no” to alcohol is important because if you are asked to drink or smoke and they keep pressuring you to do that you might actually end up making a bad decision.

To be an effective communicator is when you have good posture, eye contact, clear speaking. If you use a demanding voice it will upset the person and they won’t want to talk to you. If you use a passive or unsure voice then your message might not be taken seriously and might not be heard. Being an effective communicator helps people understand what you’re saying and know you mean what you say. The correct voice you should use is a confident voice then your message will be taken seriously.

I have used the D.A.R.E decision making model when I had to choose between doing the right thing and doing the wrong thing. I had to choose between finishing my homework and playing basketball with my friends. I went over my choices and consequences in my head and decided to finish my homework. 

My consequences were if I didn’t do my homework then my mom would get mad at me but if I didn’t play with my friends then they would get mad at me. Using the D.A.R.E decision making model helped me because I ended up choosing the right decision and I explained to my friends why I couldn’t play with them. Using the D.A.R.E decision making model is important because if you’re stuck in a situation where you have to choose between doing the right thing or the fun thing it will help you with choosing the right thing to do. 

I plan to use what I learned during the D.A.R.E unit to make safe and responsible decisions when I have to choose between making the right and safe decision or the fun decision. For example if I have to choose between telling an adult that two people are going to fight or keeping to myself and someone gets hurt. 

Using the D.A.R.E decision making model will help people choose the right choice. D.A.R.E means to Define, Assess, Respond and Evaluate. By using these steps it will be easier to choose between doing the right thing or doing the wrong thing and letting someone or yourself get hurt. 

Now that you know what D.A.R.E is and know how to say “No” to alcohol and drugs you can use these strategies  in your future. I recommend that you should use these strategies if you’re pressured into doing something you don’t want to do.