D.A.R.E Campaign

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D.A.R.E. Keepin it REAL

2013 - 2014 Middle School Campaign Plan

Background

D.A.R.E.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (D.A.R.E.) started in 1983 by the Los

Angeles Police Department in a joint effort with the Los Angeles Unified School DistrIct (LAUSD).

The program employs police officers to teach methods to resist peer pressure and avoid drugs

and violence to children K-12. Officers need to complete 80 hours of training and an additional

40 hours to prepare for the high school program prior to teaching. The D.A.R.E. program allows

students to develop a relationship and identify with local police officers by understanding the

helpful side of the law. The program increases open communication among the departments,

the school, students, and parents.

As of 2011, the program reached 75 percent of the school districts in the United States

and 54 countries around the world, equating to 36 million students each year.1 All students

participating in the traditional D.A.R.E. program must complete a student workbook and a

D.A.R.E. essay. Students must also maintain good attendance, follow D.A.R.E. and school

rules and remain a positive role model and citizen to receive an award and graduate from the

program.

International outreach remains an important component of the D.A.R.E program. Since

1990, police officers from over 50 countries joined the program. In 2009, United Nations (UN)

granted D.A.R.E. America Special Consultative Status. As a member of D.A.R.E. worldwide,

1 Hanson, David. Drug abuse resistance education: the effectiveness of DARE, http://

www.alcoholfacts.org/DARE.html.

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China started to pay more attention to drug abuse resistance education and increased

communication about anti-drug education between U.S. and China. In recent years, many cities

in Southern China with youth violence and drug abuse problems, such as Shenzhen and Yunnan,

began to follow the example of the kiR curriculum.

keepin it REAL

In July 2009, D.A.R.E. introduced the keepin It REAL (kiR) curriculum to meet the

National Health Education Standards and apply to evidence-grounded methods and American

culture. The Keepin It Real program focuses on enhancing the decision making process to avoid

drugs and alcohol. kiR teaches protective factors shown to build strength in students at-risk

for drug use. The new program and increased demand for drug abuse awareness led to the

creation of D.A.R.E. America that aims to improve the curriculum and train officers.

LAUSD

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) remains the largest public school

system in California and second largest public school district in the United States. The LAUSD

serves approximately 700,000 students throughout 700 schools. The LAUSDs ethnic student

population consists of 73% Hispanic, 11% African-American and 9% White.2 The LAUSD holds a

negative reputation for overcrowded schools, high drop-out and expulsion rates, low academic

performance, poor maintenance and incompetent administration.

LAPD

The Los Angeles Police Department remains the third largest local law enforcement in the

United States. It employs over 9,000 officers and covers an area of approximately 500 miles. The LAPD

increased focus on diversity hiring in the past two decades to better represent the ethnic population in

2 LAUSD Fingertip Facts 2007-2008.

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Los Angeles. The officer population consists of one-third Hispanics, less than half whites and 20 percent

women. Following allegations of racial discrimination, the LAPD underwent major reformation to gain

community support.3

Business Goal

U.S. Goal: Provide an effective program to prevent K-12 students from using drugs while

remaining part of the curriculum in 75 percent of U.S. school districts.

Global Goal: To become the most influential and credible international drug abuse resistance

education program.

Statement of Problem

The previous D.A.R.E. curriculum proved ineffective at preventing kids from using

drugs. Numerous studies conducted on the programs overall effectiveness found an increased

likelihood for children exposed to the program to use drugs. The messaging created the

perception that teens abused drugs more frequently than research showed. The belief

increased pressure to enter the drug culture for social acceptance.

D.A.R.E. lost federal funding and faced major scrutiny due to the overwhelming

research results that emphasized the programs failure. The ineffectiveness of the programs

campaign resulted from out-of-date messaging, insufficient scope of relevant information,

usage of police officers as teachers, and lack of parent involvement. Though the program

reconstructed the curriculum, the messaging, presentation, parental support, and credibility

need improvement. The new D.A.R.E. program still suffers from a poor public image and low

3Los Angeles Times. The Changing Face of the LAPD. http://articles.latimes.com/2006/apr/17/local/me-

lapd17

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awareness of changes.

The D.A.R.E. program formed in 1983, almost 30 years ago. The program adapts

too slowly to societal and technological advancements and fails to engage students outside

the classroom. No social media exists to support the messages. The program needs to gain

presence in times when children face peer pressure. In addition, the keepin it Real curriculum

proved effective and accountable but the perception of an old ineffective D.A.R.E. still

dominates due to lack of awareness of the new program.

Pressures increase as society continues to accept the use of marijuana for both

recreation and medicine. Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize

marijuana for recreational purposes. Children need to understand the dangers of drug use and

the potential for marijuana to act as a gateway drug. The National Institute of Drug Abuse

states that Americans 14 and older abuse prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs most

commonly, after marijuana and alcohol.

Prevalence of marijuana use in Asia (1.0 - 3.4 per cent) remains lower than the global average.

However, Asia's large population means the absolute number of users in Asia, estimated between 26

million and 92 million, remains the highest worldwide.

Between 1994 and 2002, several events prompted D.A.R.E. to revise the original

curriculum, including a loss of federal funding. D.A.R.E. changed its program in an attempt to

adapt to cultural changes and become more scientifically based.

D.A.R.E. remains one of the most popular drug prevention programs in the world. Each

year more studies provide greater insight on effective drug prevention methods. This creates an

opportunity to design a new campaign based on research and modernized for students in the

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21st century. D.A.R.E. holds the possibility to effectively reach millions of young students in a

way that will help them say no to drugs and lead better lives.

Research

Research goals:

Identify key audiences and audience segments.

Target and understand the evolution of teenagers with social media and

technological advancements. Focus on interests, activities and social culture.

Identify key issues and trends of teenage drug use.

Understand the prevalence of specific drugs within L.A.U.S.D. schools. Identify

popular drugs among students and the availability of them.

Assess L.A.U.S.D. student attitudes and perceptions towards D.A.R.E. and drugs.

Focus on students recreational habits other than drug use. Link recreational

activities of interest to D.A.R.E. program to provide an alternative to recreational drug

usage. Implement a strategic plan to build a positive perception about D.A.R.E. among

students.

Key Questions:

Why is the D.A.R.E program considered ineffective?

How can the program be revamped and modernized to increase effectiveness?

Are schools discussing the D.A.R.E. program and how do the schools perceive the

program?

Research Methodology:

Primary Research:

a. Qualitative

Student Focus Groups

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At least four groups of Hispanic and African-American L.A.U.S.D. middle school

students (Male and Female, Fifth - Seventh Grade) who have taken or been offered

drugs. Allow them to express interests, activities, social groups, personal influencers,

social media usage and themes of interest.

Parent Focus Groups

At least two groups of single parents of L.A.U.S.D. students (Male and Female,

Hispanic and African-American) with prior addictions or problems with drugs.

Teacher Interviews, 5+ years

A group of 25-50 School administrators and counselors (Male and Female, Ages

27-45) with over five years experience in middle schools with prevalent drug issues on

campuses in South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Inglewood and

Westlake. Allow them to assess drug usage on campus by most common drugs and the

median time students abuse them.

Teacher Interviews, Under 5 years

A group of 15-30 Teachers (Male and Female, Ages 23- 35) working less than

five years in L.A.U.S.D. middle schools located in South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles,

San Fernando Valley, Inglewood and Westlake. Allow them to give insight student drug

use, parent support, teacher willingness to support, administrator support, Los Angeles

Police Departments relationship with school, student and community issues.

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Graduate Focus Groups

Groups will discuss the program with graduates of D.A.R.E. ages 18-30 from

LAUSD. The groups will measure the opinions of the programs effectiveness and

messaging strategies. We will also find potential options to change the program.

Classroom Discussions

Gym teachers in LAUSD and Shenzhen middle schools that offer D.A.R.E. will

spend 30 minutes of one class conducting a focus group. Teachers will test sample

messages on the children to determine which resonate the best. The children will

discuss types of influential people to discover the appropriate source of drug abuse

messages. Students will also analyze the lion mascot of the D.A.R.E program and other

possible characters or role models.

b. Quantitative

Online Survey

The survey will determine the percentage of students that graduated with the

D.A.R.E. program and still abused drugs or alcohol. We will target a total of 2,000 high

school students in LAUSD and Shenzhen, China. The survey will also focus on reasons

students feel the program fails or succeeds in effectiveness and possible new methods

for reaching children.

Classroom Surveys

Survey LAUSD middle school students to gain an understanding of attitudes and

familiarity with different controlled substances ranging from marijuana to heroin. Also,

Identify attitudes and familiarity with inhalants or OTC and prescription drugs.

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In-person surveys with parents

Survey over 700 LAUSD parents at four school events to gain an understanding

of how often they speak to children about drugs and violence and willingness to support

the program.

Social Media Analysis

A Radian6 analysis will show all online conversations about D.A.R.E. over the

past three months. We will gauge the number and tonality of posts about the program.

The analysis will measure every platform from social media to comments on local news

articles.

Secondary Research:

Database Analysis

Psychological and educational databases will provide insights on effective

teaching methods for children of Generation Z. The messaging will promote the

psychological research and proven teaching methods in the new curriculum.

Media Content Analysis

A media content analysis will measure the number and tonality of articles

written by mainstream media. The analysis will focus on the LA Times, Los Angeles Daily

News, L.A. Parent, the Chinese Daily, and education trade publications.

Competition Analysis

A competition analysis will examine programs that effectively achieve the same

goals D.A.R.E. attempts to accomplish. The analysis will study the methods used in

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Above The Influence, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Foundation For A Drug-

Free World, Schools and Families Educating Children (SAFE Children) and CASASTART.

Also, the analysis will include similar international programs, such as the Legal Class

initiated by China Central Television and the Ministry of Public Security and Anti-drug

Education Teaching Plan Contest by China Ministry of Education.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

Strengths

Prevalence/popularity - Implemented in 75% of U.S. school districts and in more than 54

countries worldwide.

Community policing Opens lines of communication between law enforcement and

youth; helps kids with real-life situations from the officers that know the drug and

alcohol-related field.

New flexible curriculum Keepin It REAL as of 2009 research-based and effective.

Community Resource Provides communities with various resources for parents and

youth that might be at-risk for drug and alcohol abuse.

Weaknesses

Traditional one-size-fits-all curriculum ineffectiveness left D.A.R.E. with a negative

program reputation. (Ex: Has not taken into account the approval of marijuana-use in

Colorado).

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Police officers ineffective instructors Limited teaching experience and strained

relationships with communities. Gender and ethnic differences problematic in creating a

relationship with officers.

Key message Repeated for so many years that it lost meaning and became tedious

among youth. The message did not evolve with society.

Parents Do not effectively integrate into program and assume it fails to keep kids off

drugs.

Minimal, almost non-existent social media presence.

Opportunities

Growing Social Media Trends Establish a strong social media presence to promote new

curriculum, provide additional resources and engage parents and youth.

Rising health-conscious society Position D.A.R.E. to further promote health by

strategically partnering with other organizations.

Prescription and over-the-counter drug use Increased use amongst youth provides

new needs for the D.A.R.E. program to meet.

Legalization of marijuana in different regions Invites further drug-prevention

strategies.

Threats

Legalization of marijuana in certain areas distorts drug-free messaging.

Lack of Federal funding Limited the budget and caused criticism of the program.

Research studies Provide evidence showing that D.A.R.E. ineffective.

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Children in schools also now use other forms of drugs such as prescription pills and over-

the-counter drugs instead of the typical drugs the D.A.R.E. program teaches against.

STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS

D.A.R.E. holds a reputation as the most popular drug prevention program in the world.

The image gives the program the opportunity to change its messaging style and old

strategies to meet the problems of K-12 students in the modern-day drug culture and fit

new legalization laws in the U.S. and around the world.

D.A.R.E. needs to apply current psychological research findings to enhance the new

curriculum and to develop new messages that students will relate to in todays modern

society.

Communication Goals

Overall Goal: Inform and attract modern-day middle school students to maximize the revamped

D.A.R.E. kiR programs social appeal and effectiveness.

Rationale: The program needs to combine new social technology and cultural trends to reach

teenagers.

Sub-goal: Make drug and alcohol-related behavior socially unacceptable amongst middle school

students.

Rationale: Drug and alcohol-related behavior will be stigmatized and students will participate in

such behavior less frequently.

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Sub-goal: Create an environment that allows students, parents, police officers and school

faculty to interact and reinforce D.A.R.E. messaging.

Rationale: Engage students at all times by incorporating influential adults into the messaging

strategy.

Objectives

Overall Campaign Objective: Launch a new pilot D.A.R.E. campaign in 75% of Los Angeles

Unified School District middle schools by the end of 2014.

Rationale: Launching a pilot program with the same curriculum and new messages in the

originating district will instill a sense of fellowship in the police officers, teachers and students.

The original D.A.R.E. program launched in LAUSD schools years ago allowing easier evaluation

from access to original data.

Output Objectives:

- Reach 1,000 facebook followers, 2,000 youtube hits and over 250 tweets by June 2014.

Rationale: D.A.R.E. will create a social media culture for middle school students and parents.

It will raise program awareness and reinforce messaging through interactive visuals, links and

videos.

- By May 2014, Increase by 30% total number of positive media coverage stories.

Rationale: Extended positive media coverage will allow key audiences to obtain information and

gain program awareness. It will also improve reputation while generating buzz for culminating

special events.

Outcome Objectives:

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- Change the opinion of 25% of participating LAUSD middle school students to perceive all drugs

as socially unacceptable by June 2014.

Rationale: D.A.R.E. needs to eliminate the cool factor in using drugs to increase effectiveness.

- Decrease total number of drug-related suspensions or expulsions in participating LAUSD

middle schools 15% by June 2014.

Rationale: Decreasing the total number of drug-related suspensions or expulsions in the

participating middle school will reveal whether the campaign reduced the number of children

that use drugs.

Key Audiences

7th-8th grade LAUSD students:

The LAUSD student body comprises 73% hispanic, 11% African American, and 9%

Caucasian students. The dropout and expulsion rate remains high and academic performance

fails to meet standards. Students face the identity stage of personal and social

development and remain susceptible to outside influence. Students seek support and

acceptance and remain vulnerable to adolescent crisis as a result of peer pressure. Students

may cope with emotions by using tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

Public school students in large cities face higher rates of interpersonal problems such

as violence in the family, poor academic achievement and lack of supportive friends. Research

shows an increased likelihood for minority middle school students participate in drug and

alcohol-related activity.

Single Parents of LAUSD middle school students:

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In Los Angeles, single-parent households represent 34 percent of households. Parents

typically lack time to monitor childrens academics, after school activities, and their circle of

friends. Keeping a roof over their head and food on the table takes priority over drug education.

Research shows that people turn to substance abuse as a coping mechanism for instabilities in

family structure such as divorce or remarriage.

LAUSD Staff: Administrators, Counselors and Teachers:

Administrators maintain the responsibility of overseeing student issues, community

relations and the schools direction. They set the schools program expectations and make the

choice to adopt the DARE program. Counselors deal with student issues and foster relationships

with students, parents and teachers. Teachers spend the most time with students outside of

the home. Teachers to must fill the void when families fail to talk to kids about drugs. Teachers

help students fill the gaps in drug use education and balance the information given by the police

officers of the D.A.R.E. program, the street and the media.

Key Messages

Current Keepin it Real Overarching message: Refuse, Explain, Avoid and Leave. (R.E.A.L)

7th-8th grade LAUSD students:Refuse, Explain, Avoid and Leave helps kids understand

the effects of drug use, teaches them the decision-making skills to say no and, resist drugs

altogether. Research proves that kids still use drugs with this messaging.

New messages:

- A drug is a drug whether its marijuana, an inhalant, prescription, or over the counter.

- Drugs will not help you fit in, look popular or achieve your dreams.

- Just because a substance is legal in some states, doesnt mean its right to use.

- You have more power than you think to live a drug-free life.

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Rationale: According to a Los Angeles Times article, kids do not find marijuana dangerous.

Legalization laws in some states lead to an increased acceptance of marijuana use. The D.A.R.E.

campaign needs to recognize the new legalization laws in some states and communicate that

marijuana remains unacceptable to use.4

Single Parents of LAUSD students: The current Keepin it Real messages offer parents methods

to find warning signs of a child using drugs. It doesnt offer parents suggestions to talk to

children after finding warning signs. The D.A.R.E website tells parents to keep a watchful eye on

children to eliminate drug use and alcohol consumption. The messaging needs to inform parents

to address the drug issue before the child begins using drugs.

New messages: Its important to talk to your child about the dangers of drugs and alcohol at

a young age as preparation for school years. The fact is, kids now try substances before high

school. Maintain open communication and create a comfortable, non-punishing environment in

the home when a child wants to talk to about drugs or alcohol.

Rationale: Busy single parents will always find time to talk to children about drugs and alcohol.

Communication with parents about drugs will help reinforce D.A.R.E. messages.

LAUSD Teachers: Neither the D.A.R.E. program nor the Keepin it Real curriculum addresses

teachers. Teachers need to take advantage of close relationships with students to help promote

a drug-free lifestyle. D.A.R.E. should show teachers the opportunity to play a major role in a

teens life by offering a confidential outlet to discuss drugs without consequence.

New Messages: As a teacher, counselor or administrator, you have the opportunity to change

4CNN Opinion. Legalize pot? No, reform laws. http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/20/opinion/sabet-

marijuana-legalization/

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a students life for the better. If a student feels uneasy about talking to parents about drugs, you

provide a safe place to discuss living a drug-free lifestyle. Let students know you will help them

with any drug situations that may arise. Starting a conversation with each of your students will

give you a chance to become a key influencer in all of their lives.

Rationale: Teachers will offer another channel of drug communication. Close relationships with

students will provide a safe zone and open doors for teachers to prevent drug use.

Strategies

Make drug usage socially unacceptable by linking the behavior to physical body

deterioration, poverty and prison statistics.

Rationale: Making drugs socially unacceptable will allow students to witness the harsh

realities of drugs and the evolution of drug addicts from similar backgrounds and

neighborhoods. The addicts will open students eyes to the bleak future of drug users.

Use social media as a platform for sharing program information, student testimonials, special

events, contests, positive videos and music.

Rationale: Social media will allow DAREs KiR program to create a cultural identity outside of the

classroom while reinforcing messages. It provides an interactive approach for students to keep

the program fresh and new. It also enables students to feel a sense of belonging to a positive

social club that emphasizes artistic expression as an alternative to drug use.

Develop a series of DARE special events and contests for students to remain engaged and look

forward to something throughout the academic school year.

Rationale: Special events will bring students, parents, teachers, law enforcement officers

and positive influencers together. The innovative contests will promote drug-free student

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expression through the use of art, music, video, drama and sports. Contest winners will earn

guest celebrity special events on campus alongside students (ex: new DARE song.)

Use high-profile celebrities to build credibility, establish student connections and generate buzz

for DARE.

Rationale: DARE will increase its appeal and acceptance among students through the use of

drug-free pop culture celebrities. The use of celebrities will also invite media coverage and drive

conversation on social media while generating buzz amongst fans. It provides an example to

students of people that aspired to achieve greatness and a cool reputation without succumbing

to the dangerous world of drug use.

Leverage the endorsement of United Nations (UN) in global communication.

Rationale: As a UNs Special Consultative Status holder, D.A.R.E. maintains the advantage

of expanding its global impact by using UN as a powerful and credible endorsement,

especially in developing countries like China. The overall image of new D.A.R.E. will rise

with successful international outreach under the name of UN.

Emphasize over-the-counter and prescription drug use prevention.

Rationale: Over-the-counter and prescription drugs emerged as a trend in youth drug

consumption. D.A.R.E. needs emphasize the two drugs in the curriculum. The current Keepin It

Real curriculum includes the substances, but fails to bring the attention.

Tactics

Partner with Above the Influence, a National Youth Anti-Drug media campaign to host an

informational school event for celebrities/musicians with drug histories to speak about the

hardships road to recovery.

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Rationale: Above the Influence, aims for the same goals as D.A.R.E. The popularity of the

program will help acquire guest celebrities that will acts an influential example for kids to stay

off drugs.

Revamp the D.A.R.E. website to offer drug information using modern and interactive methods,

including social media, that will reach our target age groups.

Rationale: Current website looks outdated and childish with puzzles and rhymes. It is not

suitable for adolescents in a highly technological culture.

Create modern PSAs that address kids at a party realistically making the decision to say no to

drugs when offered..

Rationale: The D.A.R.E. program received negative feedback because it tells kids to blindly say

no to drugs. A video that demonstrates realistic situations teenagers might come across at

parties will engage kids.

Create a contest for students at each participating LAUSD middle school to create a new D.A.R.E.

song. The winning school will partner with a well-known musician to record a video.

Rationale: The current D.A.R.E. song is outdated and does not appeal to all K-12 students, most

particularly to middle school students. Revamping the D.A.R.E. song with a school and a well-

known, drug-free artist will help popularize and modernize the D.A.R.E. program.

Create D.A.R.E. sponsored after school programs with sports organization or club activities to

act as a day care for teenagers whose parents that work full-time jobs until after dark.

Rationale: Sports and other high-energy activities will decrease the opportunities for teenagers

to participate in drugs.

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Offer alternative drug-free activities for children on weekends at a teen center or library such as

movie nights, video game tournaments, skate parties etc.

Rationale: Offering drug-free activities will offer places to socialize and fit in without the threat

of drugs.

Sports tournaments - Have seasonal intramural leagues within each LAUSD middle school

partnered with after-school programs. After completing each league, establish an All-Star team

for each school to play against other middle schools throughout the LAUSD.

Establish April 20th as National D.A.R.E. Day instead of April 8th.

Rationale: Students in American schools celebrate April 20th by smoking marijuana. Shaping 4/

20 as National D.A.R.E. Day will give teenagers a chance to take a stand against drugs and help

make marijuana smoking socially acceptable.

Develop a pen pal connection with Chinese and American students through social media.

Rationale: Using social media will ensure that teenagers will reach new friends with different

perspectives. Students will understand that children all over the world face peer pressure and

drug-related problems.

Establish dual teacher and officer instruction.

Rationale: D.A.R.E. training officers and the teachers need to align with messaging strategies in

the Keepin it Real curriculum. Teachers and police officers will offer different perspectives.

Appoint an officer from schools campus security that represents the students background as

the certified D.A.R.E. program teacher.

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Rationale: Students will remember the curriculum better if its taught by a familiar face. Using

the same officer over the years will allow students to develop a long-term relationship with the

D.A.R.E. officer.

YouTube - Create an archive of D.A.R.E. sponsored and screened testimonials for parents to

show kids examples of recovering drug addicts, addicted prostitutes, released and rehabilitating

inmates, skid row footage, premature crack-babies, meth addicts stories, etc.

Rationale: Fear tactics will show teenagers the tragedies avoided by staying drug-free. Real

footage removes the glamour of drug culture.

Twitter - Establish a D.A.R.E. twitter account to engage parents and provide latest news.

Rationale: Parents will receive and offer information quickly via social media.

Facebook - Create a D.A.R.E. facebook page for kiR student and parents. Allow them to add

pictures and videos to share with other students and parents. Provide links for them to obtain

additional information regarding events and partnering activities after-school. Have the

Facebook page monitored by D.A.R.E. student leaders. Allow athletes and celebrities to post

words of encouragement. Announce winners of D.A.R.E. sponsored contests and activities.

Rationale: Facebook will empower students to feel part of something greater than themselves.

It will reinforce messages and allow them to interact with other students throughout the LAUSD.

Coach parents on how to talk to kids at an early age about drug abuse.

Rationale: Parents will learn about the curriculum and officers will explain the parents role in

enforcing anti-drug messaging.

Develop parent forums online where parents upload photos and videos of anti-drug activities

with children, best practices of discussing drugs with teenagers, and offer support to other

parents struggling with drug-addicted children.

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Rationale: Parents will talk to one another to find the best methods to raise children drug-free.

The forums will allow parents to work together to keep all LAUSD children safe and aid each

other in the fight against drugs.

Assign one discussion topic for week for children to discuss with parents or guardians for 20

minutes.

Rationale: One short discussion about drugs per week between children and parents will help

keep communication channels open. Comfortability with confiding in parents will increase as

regular talks become routine.

D.A.R.E. will increase presence at local fairs. Tables will provide information to parents and the

community with brochures and kiR bracelets for the kids. The program will sponsor a police

department drug dog demonstration.

Rationale: Families passing by the booth will gain information about the program. The

demonstration engages kids and shows the consequences of drug possession and distribution.

D.A.R.E. will host monthly pizza parties Friday nights for parents and children to get together.

The evening will open with a quick 10 minute presentation about drug abuse. Afterward, guests

will eat pizza and ice cream and participate in games or mingle with others.

Rationale: Once a month parents will come together to spend time with children and meet each

other. Parents will know other parents and children in the community and will keep an eye on

each others children.

International Tactics

Launch the Keepin it REAL Curriculum in Shenzhen, China with an event.

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Rationale: Shenzhen, a coast city in southern China, holds similar demographics and

psychographics to Los Angeles. The city acts as the economic and cultural hub of southern

China. Immigration, violence and drug abuse remain big headaches for both cities.

Publish first annual report on kiR in Shenzhen after two semesters trial in the end of 2014.

Rationale: The report will offer the public concrete results of the pilot program and gain

support.

Create an L.A.-Shenzhen Anti-Drug Education Forum, Shenzhen, June 26, 2014

Rationale: The UN established June 26th as International Day Against Drug Abuse. The day will

promote the D.A.R.E. program on an international spectrum. Delegates of the LAPD and kiR

curriculum developers will attend a discussion with Chinese educators, teachers and police

officers in Schenzhen. It will create conversation on the reformation of Chinese anti-drug

education.

Launch a D.A.R.E. China official website

Rationale: The program needs to establish an official website for Chinese teenagers to learn

about drugs and stay drug-free. It will provide news and updates of both D.A.R.E. American and

China in two languages and will also function as a medium to connect American and Chinese

teenagers.

Create a contest for students at each participating Chinese middle school to create a new

D.A.R.E. song. The winning school will partner with a well-known musician to record a video.

Rationale: The D.A.R.E. China program also gained the opportunity to revamp the D.A.R.E. song

in a way that will appeal to Chinese teenagers. Students will post and vote for favorite songs on

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social media to create buzz and interaction. The Chinese musician who will record a video will

also act as the spokesperson of D.A.R.E. China.

Establish media relations with Chinese press with press releases and op/eds.

Rationale: Ensuring media coverage of events mentioned in Shenzhen will create buzz about the

D.A.R.E. program. Op/eds from domestic educators will discuss the best practice methods of

integrating kiR curriculum and Chinese anti-drug education.

Create a strong social media buzz on RENREN.com.

Rationale: The social media page currently maintains more than 7 million users of middle school

students. Its an effective channel to reach Chinese students and promote anti-drug events.

XII. Evaluation

A. Overall Campaign Objective:

In-class surveys of the same students will measure perceived effectiveness of the campaign in

75 percent of LAUSD middle schools.

Rationale: Assess L.A.U.S.D. student attitudes and perceptions towards D.A.R.E. and

drugs at the end of the pilot to measure change in opinion or behavior.

B. Output Objectives:

Follow up social media analysis will determine if the campaign gained 1,000 facebook followers,

2,000 YouTube hits and over 250 tweets and the content of posts by students.

Rationale: Social media monitoring will measure the increase of activity on program sites.

Media content analysis of the same publications will measure if the campaign reached an

increase of 30 percent in total number of positive media coverage stories.

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Rationale: Media clippings will measure if key audiences in the Los Angeles County community

received the positive message content.

C. Outcome Objectives: Focus groups with the same children will measure if the campaign changed the opinion of

25 percent of participating LAUSD middle school students to perceive all drugs as socially

unacceptable.

Rationale: Focus groups will allow children to discuss post-program opinions and specific

components they liked or felt needed improvement.

An analysis of school records will determine a decrease by 15 percent of the total number of

drug-related suspensions or expulsions in participating LAUSD middle schools.

Rationale:The analysis will measure whether children decreased drug usage and distribution.

Timeline

July 2013- June 2014

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