The goals and objectives of lesson five are:
After the DARE Box questions and review of the previous lesson, we introduce the topic of advertising by asking students:
A brief video is shown of advertisements followed by the following questions
These questions and responses generate a lot of discussion, especially around the humour that is often a part of alcohol advertising, the “whatzzzup”, the Budweiser talking frogs, the Kokane Sasquatch, and so forth. From those responses we are able to facilitate the discussion as to why advertisers use humour, why do their commercials always show a group of friends gathered around, laughing, talking and always attractive, athletic people. Are they showing the truth about alcohol? What would people think if they showed an overweight individual sitting alone in a house drinking? Would it have the same effect? Or a family violence situation? Are the advertisers being truthful about their product?
We then talk about the Public Service Announcements and compare those to the advertisers who are trying to sell their product. The PSA’s offer health and safety information to consumers. Such as the beer glasses that are placed in front of the driver to depict how each beer impairs the drivers ability to operate a motor vehicle, or the baby crying in the crib whose mother isn’t coming home tonight because she was struck and killed by an impaired driver.
Our next subject is on inhalants. We introduce this subject very carefully as we do not want the students' curiosity peaked. We approach it by asking the kids if they have ever been in a room that is newly painted, and how the smell can make a person start feeling dizzy or sick. We ask them why they think that is?
We then ask what our lungs do? What is their job?
We explain the lungs provide oxygen to our bodies and get rid of carbon dioxide. When chemical fumes get into our lungs, less oxygen gets to our brain. This is how inhalants work and how they harm us. Most of these chemicals are in common things from around the house.
We ask why this might be dangerous? Even the first time? The response we facilitate from the students is the fact it goes directly to the brain. Inhalant users risk death every time they use, even the first time. We want to be sure students understand the serious problems inhalants can cause, and the risk that young people face, even if they only do it once.
Our next activity is a “relay race”. We want students to put to use the information they have learned. In DARE Teams, students race against each other to see which team can come up with the most health risks to using drugs, such as tobacco, marijuana and alcohol.
The second round the challenge is to see which team can create the longest list of fun and healthy things to do with their friends that do not involve tobacco, alcohol, marijuana or inhalants.
We finish up the class with a review by showing on the “your body” diagram the part of our bodies that are affected by inhalants and then Journaling what they learned today about the impact of alcohol advertising and how they think it tries to influence young people.
Cpl Beth Campbell