Last week the Columbus Board of Education decided to pull Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) programs out of its schools, replacing them with a government-endorsed program called Youth Matters, which will be taught to all fifth graders, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
DARE has been criticized for its inefficiency and lack of long-term results. The program targets fifth graders, and for the most part, does not reinforce its lessons throughout crucial periods of a students' life: middle and high school. DARE does offer a curriculum targeting these periods, but only 25 percent of schools utilize the middle school programs, and a mere 15 percent are used in high schools. Youth Matters, although proven effective through scientific research, also does not continue its programs past fifth grade.
Combining DARE with a daily class, such as health or science, would permit lessons to be taught on a more regular basis and would not require the constant presence of a DARE officer, thus freeing up more policemen to patrol the streets. However, an officer should occasionally visit classrooms, allowing students to build an important relationship with local police and helping to discard the myth that the police are the enemy.
Instead of ridding schools of DARE, the program should be revamped so that it is integrated into the classroom and is continued throughout a students' life. Educating students about the effects of drugs and alcohol during the entire course of their schooling will increase awareness, promote students to think critically and encourage students to make well-informed judgments, instead of simply telling them what is right and wrong.
Don't blink or you'll miss the fun
They are popping up everywhere, and they are gone in an instant. Flash mobs are the new trend sweeping the world. Taking advantage of the Internet, flash mobs are organized via e-mail and Web sites. Participants are given a meeting place, time and a set of precise instructions, often involving a humorous act.
For example, in late August, at precisely 1:05 p.m., a random group of sixty or so participants gathered at a Haagen Daz ice cream counter inside a Tampa mall and began quacking like ducks. They paraded a pre-determined route around the mall, down the escalator, gave themselves a round of applause that lasted exactly one minute and quickly dispersed.
Flash mobs began as a whimsical summer gag, a way to escape the monotony of the everyday world, and they're only gaining popularity. According to the Web site, http://www.flocksmart.com, flash mobs are planned all over the country; from Cincinnati to St. Louis, from Palm Beach to Provo, everyone is looking for something just a bit different to do.
And flash mobs, although believed to have originated in New York, are not just isolated to the states. From people eating bananas in a department store in Berlin to banging shoes on the street of Sao Paulo, flash mobs are everywhere. While this may raise the spirits of many, it is also raising eyebrows. The efficiency with which the mobs perform and the ease with which they unexpectedly meet have some asking what happens when a flash mob has violent intentions. Like many good things, flash mobs have the potential to be bad. But supporters of flash mobs argue that by giving people something fun to do, it is the flash mob itself that is keeping people from committing violent acts.
Observers may wonder what the point is, or what the flash mobs are trying to prove. But the point is there is no point. Flash mobs are an enjoyable, entertaining way to bring strangers together, to do something bizarre and to add a smile to someone's day. In a world that is so high strung, flash mobs offer a breath of fresh air.
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