Get out and choose D.A.R.E.  again today and everyday until Sunday-Oct. 7th!!!  WE NEED MORE PEOPLE CHOOSING D.A.R.E.!!  Cub will give $50,000 to one organization.  For Minnesota D.A.R.E, this would help us supply workbooks to our students through the state!  We will reach 65,000 – 70,000 students this year.

Go to:  https://www.cub.com/community/cub-50th/cub-50-acts-of-kindness.html

Strengthening and Engaging Communities -2018/19

There have been incidents in Minnesota and throughout the nation that have eroded trust between community members and law enforcement.  Mutual trust and respect is key in maintaining public safety and ensuring effective policing.  The Governor’s Council on Law Enforcement and Communities spent a year discussing and researching the issue.  On Sept. 29, 2018 they presented their recommendations.  However, the communities are looking for action, not words.  Minnesota DARE is unique in that they bring law enforcement and community leaders together to work on safety issues.  For years, we have worked with many community organizations like the SUPERVALU, Cub Foods, all of our MN sports teams, the Mall of America, and many others to help bring children, families, and officers together.

 

Through our work with the Governor’s Council on Law Enforcement and Communities, it became obvious that DARE could play a key role in strengthening police and community relations for the safety of our Minnesota children and families.  DARE is a children’s program that is, instructed by law enforcement, but governed by community leaders.  We are the largest community policing program in Minnesota reaching 60,000-70,000 students, annually.  Some of the Governor’s Council’s recommendations, the DARE program will address: building trust, humanizing law enforcement and communities, training, inclusion, positive activities, youth engagement, provide community service for the officers, develop mutual respect, provide mentors for future law enforcement, reward good community policing.  This will be accomplished by for forming a diverse advisory council (DDC-DARE Diversity Council) to make sure that all of our children’s safety needs are being met by our DARE programming and activities.  This council will assist with long range planning and priority programming needs.  We will conduct positive, statewide, community events that will be an extension of the relationship DARE officers form in the classroom; bringing together communities and law enforcement.  We will be providing the mandated training related to cultural, mental health, biases, and critical incidents.  We will be conducting statewide surveys for DARE officers, Chiefs, Sheriffs, Principal, Parents, and Students to see where we can improve.  We will be hosting a nationwide study of the DARE curriculum in Minnesota with researchers from Penn State and Arizona State .  One of the things this study will looking at is the relationship between the DARE Officer and the child.  We will be collaborating with other organizations to insure we are hitting safety topics for ALL of our students.  And we will be expanding DARE to the communities that do not have the program; turning to locations outside the classroom, as needed.

 

Please join with us in providing a safe and healthy environment for our Minnesota children and families.