(PERTH COUNTY, ON) This fall the Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is thrilled to announce the introduction of the new OPP KIDS Program as part of their safety and education program in local schools. K.I.D.S. stands for Knowledge, Issues, Decisions, and Supports.
The OPP KIDS program is a timely and interactive way of engaging students in conversation about matters that are important to them. The program replaces the V.I.P. program (Values, Influences and Peers), which has been taught to our grade six classes within Perth County for over 25 years with great success. This program had become dated and todays issues were not always covered in enough detail.
The KIDS Program was developed by the OPP as a tool for officers to talk to young people about decisions they may need to make and what supports are available to them. Officers are going face to face in classrooms with kids to share knowledge they might need when dealing with today’s issues, and to discuss the impact of their decisions.
When educators and police teamed up to create this program, their goal was clear: connect frontline officers with kids to help deliver the message of making the right decision, and to recognize the risk associated with self-victimization on social media (sexting), drug abuse and to prevent crime.
This highly interactive KIDS program is being rolled out across the province by OPP officers with great success. With the use of video’s, workbooks and interactive games, officers are talking directly with kids about the law, peer pressure, issues relating to online and social media, along with drug and mental health awareness.
“If you are the parent of a grade six student who attends one of the Huron-Perth Catholic School Board or Avon Maitland District School Board schools in OPP patrolled areas of Perth County, you will surely hear all about this program from your child. The new program is another example how our officers are working pro-actively in our communities to make a difference†– Acting Inspector Joel Skelding, Perth County OPP.