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More Information The RIDE Foundation was established to develop programmes that would provide an educational framework by which young people can be taught drug and alcohol awareness together with lifeskills in a structured way. Drug and alcohol misuse is a complex social problem which can only be combated through a co-ordinated, multi-agency strategy. Schools have an important role to play in this task because it is mainly through education that we can better equip our young people with the knowledge and the skills to make better future decisions concerning drugs and alcohol.
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Lifeskills involves creative discussion of subjects such as personal safety, peer pressure, bullying, assertiveness, decision-making, self-esteem, citizenship and emergency first aid. The aims of the programme are to improve levels of knowledge and understanding, to dispel myths and rumours and to achieve a higher level of debate about these important issues that spreads from the classroom, into the playground and, through homework, to parents and guardians at home. The skills covered will enable young people to make informed decisions about the use and misuse of legal and illegal drugs and be more aware of the implications their actions have on themselves and others. It is generally accepted that alcohol and drug awareness and associated lifeskills should be an integral part of a school's PSHE programme and taught in every year group, beginning with the early years and building from Key Stage 1 through Key Stage 4. There are many resources from which a teacher can develop such a PSHE programme. RIDE is just one such resource. RIDE's programmes have been designed to be delivered every other year with other, complementary programmes being run in the intervening years. Although the programmes include many of the components of the National Curriculum Guidelines for Health Education, there are some subjects that are only briefly covered and others (such as sex education) that are not covered and teachers choose from other resources available locally to satisfy school's overall PSHE programme. The programmes aim to improve the whole child by offering the integrated and graduated: • teaching of facts, relating to drugs and their use (misuse) and the consequences • practise of lifeskills, allowing for better decision-making about drugs in the future • development of attitudes and personal values via discussion with peers and parents. Certainly it is an ambitious aim - but these are very important issues. In the hands of good teachers we believe the material of the RIDE programmes can make a difference. |
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The RIDE Foundation |
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