D.A.R.E. is having a really hard time raising money for its educational app
LatestLate in August, D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) kicked off a crowd-funding campaign for an educational app. The group’s goal is to reach $75,000 by Oct. 31. So far, D.A.R.E.’s raised a paltry $1,001.
According to D.A.R.E.’s posting on Go Fund Me, the app would help spread its core message by way of a game (emphasis theirs):
Students, parents, educators, law enforcement and community leaders need access to powerful tools inside the classroom and beyond. Smart devices and time spent on-line capture the attention and fascination of students — for better or worse. Your donation will help us deliver the D.A.R.E. message to where students are mentally and physically: on-line and in their smart devices.
The nonprofit doesn’t offer many details on the game itself, though it does say that it will serve as an extension of the “Keepin’ It REAL” curriculum, which aims to teach kids how to cope in high-pressure situations (again, emphasis theirs):
Drug abuse. Bullying. Gangs. Internet safety. Cyberbullying. Rx/OTC abuse. Our children face more dangerous challenges today than ever before. The D.A.R.E. Decision Making Model teaches students how to Define, Assess, Respond and Evaluate when faced with tough decisions. The keepin’ it REAL curriculum empowers students to decisively, confidently and comfortablyRefuse, Explain, Avoid, and Leave in difficult situations.
The page also includes a review from 11-year-old Emily (“I wish everyone could have this app”) and a donation timeline:
And a few images of what the app might look like:
The Keepin’ It REAL curriculum is a government program, described by the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices as a “multicultural, school-based substance use prevention program for students 12-14 years old… The curriculum is designed to help students assess the risks associated with substance abuse, enhance decision making and resistance strategies, improve antidrug normative beliefs and attitudes, and reduce substance use.”
Seems like a worthy pursuit.
Danielle Wiener-Bronner is a news reporter.