Students race towards a healthy lifestyle

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

More than 200 Oshawa Grade 5 students recently received lessons on healthy lifestyles, substance abuse awareness, and personal safety.

Pierre Elliot Trudeau Public School in Oshawa hosted Racing to a Healthy Life, formerly Race Against Drugs Durham (RADD) on Thursday, Feb. 15

RADD was a program promoting healthy, drug-free lifestyles, developed by the RCMP, which was introduced in Durham Region in 1996.

Dan Hogan, substance abuse, and violence prevention coordinator for Durham District School Board, says the new name embodies the broader character the event has taken on.

“The focus is more on relationships and connections,” Hogan explains. “We know that healthy relationships really support students in academic achievements, personal health and coping with issues such as mental health, bullying, and substance abuse.”

Through Racing to a Healthy Life, Grade 5 students from local public schools rotate between 13 interactive pit stops.

These stops focus on topics such as healthy diets, substance abuse, and bullying.

In a new concept for this year, Grade 7 and 8 students took charge of some of the pit stops.

“They are getting a secondary learning lesson. A lot of them have already been to a RADD event and now they’re taking that learning and applying it to other students,” Hogan explained.

More events are scheduled for April and May in Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, and Cannington.

Hogan says each event will cater to specific needs of each community.

“If a community identifies that they’re having devices stolen in street crimes, we may do a street crime prevention pit stop,” he says. “If they are identifying a public health concern such as lice, we may do a related pit stop.”