Strategy 2: Education

Definition: This strategy involves two-way communication and is distinguished from the Information Dissemination strategy by the fact that interaction between the educator/facilitator and participants is the basis of its activities. Activities under this strategy aim to affect critical life and social skills including decision-making, refusal skills, critical analysis, and systematic judgment abilities. 

Prevention Education occurs naturally in the classroom through those disciplines that teach critical life and social skills, including decision making, refusal skills and critical analysis. Specific lessons that teach stress reduction, peer relationships skills (including peer resistance and conflict management) are important components of a prevention program.

In order to support the education that is already taking place in the classroom and in the community, you should create your awareness campaign so that it highlights existing programs.  To do this you should:

• Educate yourself about the prevention curricula and other resources being used at your school.  Ask your principal and teachers to tell you about and show you the current health and prevention curricula used at your school site.

• Identify what resources teachers feel they need to enhance their prevention efforts and then find ways to get those resources for them. 

• Talk to your school district Title IV Safe and Drug Free Schools Coordinator to find out if there are other district materials available.  

• Identify other resources that are available in your community that might enhance your school based program.  Find out if there are local training workshops that you can attend in order to learn more about prevention.

Minimize the Impact on Instructional Time

Next: Strategy 3: Alternatives