Drug Abuse Resistance Education otherwise known as DARE, is a volunteer based organization dedicated to empowering our local youth. DARE is a highly acclaimed program being taught in more than 43 countries around the world. DARE is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

In Gananoque, DARE is taught specifically to grade 6 students at both St. Joseph Catholic School and Linklater Public School. Each year students participate in a 10 week program designed to engage them in classroom discussions in how to proactively approach situations involving both drugs and violence. Upon successfully completing the program, students participate in a graduation ceremony receiving certificates of completion.