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DARE Curriculum
DARE seeks to work in partnership with schools, parents, carers and the wider community, to fit within the Every Child Matters framework and to help young people by:
• Promoting citizenship and responsible behaviour
• Helping young people to make healthy, safe and informed lifestyle choices
• Developing young people’s skills and confidence to manage a variety of situations both in and out of the school environment
• Developing drug education
• Engaging parents, carers and families in encouraging positive behaviour and healthy lifestyles
DARE is a life skills and drug education programme for 9-11 year olds. The course consisting of 10 one hour sessions, aims to provide children with knowledge, skills, and an opportunity to explore attitudes, to help them to make informed decisions, and to develop safe and healthy lifestyles. Topics covered include, tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, volatile substances, bullying, anti social behaviour, and different types of pressure. Children also look at normative beliefs about alcohol and tobacco.
The sessions are interactive and provide a range of learning opportunities through individual activities, teamwork, discussions, storyboards, and appropriate role play.
Lesson 1- Introduction to DARE/Self Esteem
Explores children’s perceptions about what a drug is, and understanding that we live in a society where drugs are widely used, including legal drugs (medicines, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco) and illegal drugs. The children also begin to understand how all drugs can be harmful if they are misused. The session concludes with an introduction to looking at self esteem.
Lesson 2- Self Esteem/Friendship Building
Builds on the first session and looks at the factors that can influence self esteem, providing children with strategies to help them to develop their self esteem. There is an activity where the children look at the qualities of good friends, and how to recognise someone who isn’t a good friend, investigating the importance of choosing friends carefully.
Lesson 3- Pressure/Dealing with Dilemmas
This session encourages children to consider the different pressures we face, from a variety of sources, including personal pressure, parental pressure, the media, and peer pressure. The emphasis in this session is on peer pressure and the different types, as well as a look at how to manage difficult situations, something that is practised throughout the rest of the programme.
Lesson 4- Tobacco
Children’s normative beliefs regarding tobacco use are assessed, and they explore different attitudes about smoking, for example, thinking about why people may choose to smoke. They are given balanced information about the effects of tobacco on the body, including consequences to health, as well as general facts about tobacco, which look at the legal, financial and social consequences of tobacco use.
Children are then introduced to a technique to guide them through the decision making process. This is used throughout the programme by asking them to help fictional characters to make decisions in different scenarios.
Lesson 5- Cannabis
Children look at the importance of gathering information from reliable sources. They are given balanced information about the effects of cannabis on the body, including consequences to health, as well as general facts about cannabis, which look at the legal, financial and social consequences of use.
Lesson 6- Alcohol
Children’s normative beliefs regarding alcohol use are assessed, and they explore different attitudes about alcohol, for example, thinking about why people may choose to drink alcohol. They are given balanced information about the effects of alcohol on the body, including consequences to health, and in particular, what constitutes binge drinking, and how it can affect the mind and body, as well as general facts about alcohol, including a look at the legal, financial and social consequences of alcohol use. There is the opportunity for more practice of decision making, and managing different situations.
Lesson 7- Volatile Substances
Children are given balanced information about the effects of volatile substances on the body, including consequences to health, as well as general facts about them, with a look at the legal, financial and social consequences of the misuse of products containing chemicals and poisons. This is delivered in a way that children can relate to within their own experiences, without shocking them, or scaring them, and without providing them with too much information at this age. Again there is the opportunity for decision making practice.
Lesson 8- Celebrating our Differences/Managing Disagreements/Bullying
This session enables children to appreciate that we are all different and also helps to provide them with ways to manage disagreements appropriately, considering the consequences of inappropriate behaviour, on self and others. Bullying is explored, with a look at why people may choose to bully, how people feel if they are bullied, and where to go for help if they or someone they know is being bullied.
Lesson 9- Anti-Social Behaviour/DARE Report
As a follow up to bullying this session focuses on anti social behaviour, and the consequences of anti social behaviour within the school and local community, as well as looking at positive behaviour. There is more practise of decision making and managing different situations. The children are then asked to review the DARE programme and to write a DARE ‘report’ about what they have gained from the programme.
Lesson 10- Review
This session is a final review of the programme, which can be through songs, letters, drama, a quiz, or whatever is felt to be appropriate to the individual child.
The course concludes with a DARE graduation, a celebration of the children's work, where the children are presented with a certificate, in recognition of the 10 sessions.
• Promoting citizenship and responsible behaviour
• Helping young people to make healthy, safe and informed lifestyle choices
• Developing young people’s skills and confidence to manage a variety of situations both in and out of the school environment
• Developing drug education
• Engaging parents, carers and families in encouraging positive behaviour and healthy lifestyles
DARE is a life skills and drug education programme for 9-11 year olds. The course consisting of 10 one hour sessions, aims to provide children with knowledge, skills, and an opportunity to explore attitudes, to help them to make informed decisions, and to develop safe and healthy lifestyles. Topics covered include, tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, volatile substances, bullying, anti social behaviour, and different types of pressure. Children also look at normative beliefs about alcohol and tobacco.
The sessions are interactive and provide a range of learning opportunities through individual activities, teamwork, discussions, storyboards, and appropriate role play.
Lesson 1- Introduction to DARE/Self Esteem
Explores children’s perceptions about what a drug is, and understanding that we live in a society where drugs are widely used, including legal drugs (medicines, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco) and illegal drugs. The children also begin to understand how all drugs can be harmful if they are misused. The session concludes with an introduction to looking at self esteem.
Lesson 2- Self Esteem/Friendship Building
Builds on the first session and looks at the factors that can influence self esteem, providing children with strategies to help them to develop their self esteem. There is an activity where the children look at the qualities of good friends, and how to recognise someone who isn’t a good friend, investigating the importance of choosing friends carefully.
Lesson 3- Pressure/Dealing with Dilemmas
This session encourages children to consider the different pressures we face, from a variety of sources, including personal pressure, parental pressure, the media, and peer pressure. The emphasis in this session is on peer pressure and the different types, as well as a look at how to manage difficult situations, something that is practised throughout the rest of the programme.
Lesson 4- Tobacco
Children’s normative beliefs regarding tobacco use are assessed, and they explore different attitudes about smoking, for example, thinking about why people may choose to smoke. They are given balanced information about the effects of tobacco on the body, including consequences to health, as well as general facts about tobacco, which look at the legal, financial and social consequences of tobacco use.
Children are then introduced to a technique to guide them through the decision making process. This is used throughout the programme by asking them to help fictional characters to make decisions in different scenarios.
Lesson 5- Cannabis
Children look at the importance of gathering information from reliable sources. They are given balanced information about the effects of cannabis on the body, including consequences to health, as well as general facts about cannabis, which look at the legal, financial and social consequences of use.
Lesson 6- Alcohol
Children’s normative beliefs regarding alcohol use are assessed, and they explore different attitudes about alcohol, for example, thinking about why people may choose to drink alcohol. They are given balanced information about the effects of alcohol on the body, including consequences to health, and in particular, what constitutes binge drinking, and how it can affect the mind and body, as well as general facts about alcohol, including a look at the legal, financial and social consequences of alcohol use. There is the opportunity for more practice of decision making, and managing different situations.
Lesson 7- Volatile Substances
Children are given balanced information about the effects of volatile substances on the body, including consequences to health, as well as general facts about them, with a look at the legal, financial and social consequences of the misuse of products containing chemicals and poisons. This is delivered in a way that children can relate to within their own experiences, without shocking them, or scaring them, and without providing them with too much information at this age. Again there is the opportunity for decision making practice.
Lesson 8- Celebrating our Differences/Managing Disagreements/Bullying
This session enables children to appreciate that we are all different and also helps to provide them with ways to manage disagreements appropriately, considering the consequences of inappropriate behaviour, on self and others. Bullying is explored, with a look at why people may choose to bully, how people feel if they are bullied, and where to go for help if they or someone they know is being bullied.
Lesson 9- Anti-Social Behaviour/DARE Report
As a follow up to bullying this session focuses on anti social behaviour, and the consequences of anti social behaviour within the school and local community, as well as looking at positive behaviour. There is more practise of decision making and managing different situations. The children are then asked to review the DARE programme and to write a DARE ‘report’ about what they have gained from the programme.
Lesson 10- Review
This session is a final review of the programme, which can be through songs, letters, drama, a quiz, or whatever is felt to be appropriate to the individual child.
The course concludes with a DARE graduation, a celebration of the children's work, where the children are presented with a certificate, in recognition of the 10 sessions.
