| What is D.A.R.E.??? |
| MN D.A.R.E. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, governed by a Minnesota board of directors, comprised of community members. Our mission is to educate and advocate for the safety and well-being of our Minnesota children through a collaboration with law enforcement officers, parents, schools, and community. We are a combination of prevention education and a relationship between our communities and law enforcement. The key to D.A.R.E. has ALWAYS been about relation- ships which is why the program has flourished for 30 years in Minnesota. Many communities are now struggling with the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Minneapolis was one of the first cities in Minnesota that chose to drop D.A.R.E. programming back in 1998. Former Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III (Skip) and Former Senator Norm Coleman (who then worked with the AG) brought the D.A.R.E. program to Minnesota in 1989; a bipartisan effort. They formed the non-profit, Minnesota D.A.R.E. in 1990, to administer the program as a 501(c)3. When Minneapolis announced they were dropping D.A.R.E. to replace it with liaison officers, Skip and Kathi Ackerman, the Executive Director of Minnesota D.A.R.E. met with the mayor, police chief, and superintendent. They begged them to continue community policing (DARE Officers; non-arresting officers) instead of liaison officers which are arresting officers in our high schools. With this move, many students would have their first experiences with law enforcement, a negative experience, and no positive exposure. Also, studies had begun to show that the key finding with D.A.R.E. was that the children and their parents not only learned from the officers but the officers learned from the children. These DARE officers began to better understand the community by working with the children. Minneapolis dropped the program anyway. Since 1998, other communities that kept the program have continued a growing relationship with the people in their communities. Some of the children are now adults with children of their own. The relationships continuesand communication channels are still open. Hope lies in future generations. It is difficult to bridge the gap when trust has been broken. Biases become ingrained. We must work on relationships build on mutual trust and respect. In 2016, Former Governor Dayton formed the Governor’s Council on Law Enforcement and Communities. Ackerman, spoke to the Governor’s Office about being a part of that group and was invited to help as a secretary. For months, community leaders and top law enforcement met, listened to ideas and speakers, and hosted listening session in our communities. Policy recommendations were made in 2017. Many of those recommendations were centered around community policing and involvement, better training, and to start by building trust with our children. Minnesota D.A.R.E. has taken those recommendations and tried to incorporate what we can in our programming. We continue to encourage ALL Minnesota law enforcement agencies to go beyond one-time community events to building relationships and working together with their communities. We have added training in mental health and diversity components. And, of course, we believe that our hope lies with our children. We cannot do it this alone. Minnesota D.A.R.E. is a small non-profit. We are not government funded or controlled. We have approximately 250 – 300 specially-training law enforcement officers that are certified to teach the D.A.R.E. program. These officers are dedicated and love the children they serve. As the pandemic started they were called back to the streets but were still working double duty to finish up their programs in the schools. They knew the kids were counting on them. Minnesota D.A.R.E. has a system in place to quickly disseminate information and training to these officers. We bring together communities with local law enforcement. We work closely with schools and parents and have curriculum that is developed and evaluated by independent researchers and universities. We are NOT just a drug and alcohol program but are instead a social-emotional learning system. We can provide information on many safety topics very quickly for Pre-K – 12th grade, communities, and parents. Minnesota D.A.R.E. represents ALL children. We are not a reactive program but a prevention program. D.A.R.E. teaches students that there is positive strength in numbers. We are stronger when we work together. Let’s all join together for the health and safety of our Minnesota children and families and work on rebuilding trust. You can support your Minnesota D.A.R.E. programming by donating at http://www.mndare.org To start a D.A.R.E. program in your community or schools, contact Minnesota D.A.R.E. at mndare@aol.com |
