Keep DARE alive: Have teens teach it.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Jarrett Thompson For The Register-Guard

`I can't do it!'

"Yes, you can. Just believe in yourself!"

"I want to come down."

"No, you don't. You want to reach the top! We all believe in you!"

"I did it!"

"Yes you did, see? I told you that you could do it."

That was my experience during my second week of volunteering at the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) summer camp.

Each week, the campers are taken to Crux Rock climbing gym in Eugene to help them conquer fear and learn trust in their peers.

One particular girl had attempted to climb a wall five times, but came down each time because of her fear of heights. On her last try, I belayed for her and she finally reached the top.

I lowered the young girl, and once she had reached the ground she started hugging me and everyone else she could find.

She smiled so infectiously that that one moment made my 90 volunteer hours worth it.

And now I'm hearing that the camp is being eliminated - preventing wonderful moments like that in the future. That seems wrong - not only for the students, but for mentors such as me who learn as much, if not more, as the kids throughout the week.

The Springfield School District and the Springfield City Council have decided to cut funding to DARE, citing rising costs and a lack of long-term effectiveness. The effectiveness of the program has been debated for years.

Recent studies have shown that DARE students are only slightly less likely to use drugs than those who never receive the course. But opponents of the decision say that the program merely needs to be modified to include more than just a three-week course in the fifth grade. According to many experts, the most effective way to prevent drug use is through consistent reinforcement.

The partnership between the Springfield School District and the Springfield Police Department, once heralded as the key to the effectiveness of the program, is now proving to be the largest stumbling block for efforts to save it.

The police department must pay the DARE officer, and the school district must create room in the curriculum for the officer to teach the program.

Unfortunately, the partnership has crippled the ability for DARE to exist without both parties' support - unless, that is, other sources can be used to find people willing to teach DARE.

One place to find those teachers could be local high schools. Having high school students teach DARE creates a win-win situation, because fifth-graders look up to high school students and because the younger students can see themselves being in our position in the near future.

Having high school students teach DARE could add to the success of the program for this reason. It also creates another opportunity for older students like us to complete the 100 volunteer hours that are required for us to graduate with honors.

None of the studies has measured the impact that the free camp has on the 11- and 12-year-old students. DARE camp is not all about saying no to drugs - in fact, there were no lectures on the dangers of drugs at all. The camp focuses mainly on building camaraderie among the kids.

I witnessed the effect firsthand. On the first day, the children want nothing to do with each other. But by the end of the week, they have made numerous new friends - all in the span of five days.

All of these children experience growth and gain the confidence, like the girl I belayed for at Crux Rock Gym, not only to conquer their fears, but also to stand up to others and refuse drugs.

Jarrett Thompson is commentary editor of the Thurston High School newspaper, The Pony Express.