Proerd graduation that took place at the Federal Institute Gymnasium Tupã City Hall/Disclosure The City Hall, through the Municipal Department of Education, in partnership with the 2nd Company of the Military Police of Tupã, held on Thursday night (11/06) the graduation of another class from the Educational Program for Resistance to Drugs and Violence (Proerd). The ceremony was held at the Federal Institute Gymnasium, which was filled with family members of the graduates. Also participating in the ceremony were Major André Vander Zambelli, representing the 9th Military Police Battalion; the interim Secretary of Education, Carla Goss de Barros and councilor Silas Ferrão. In this first semester, over 407 students from the 5th grades of the municipal schools “João Geraldo Iori”, “Thiago Leandro”, “Mário Covas” and “Odinir Magnani” and the private schools Colégio Olímpico and Colégio Adventista participated in the course, which was taught by military police officers Corporal Tosqui Júnior and Corporal Matheus Yaegashi. In addition to the awarding of certificates, the ceremony was also marked by the awarding of medals to the students who wrote the best essays about what they learned with Proerd and how the program positively impacted their lives. The Proerd instructor, Corporal Tosqui Júnior, highlighted the importance of the course, which has been taught in Tupã since 1999 and has served more than 20 thousand students from Tupã in its almost 30 years of existence. Created through cooperation between the Military Police and the Los Angeles Police Department, Proerd is based on the D.A.R.E. program. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), which was created with the aim of preventing children and adolescents from starting to use narcotics and other drugs. The course is taught in the classroom, through 10 50-minute lessons, where children learn to make safe choices, how to resist drugs and avoid violence. "Proerd works specifically with child students in this age group, which is marked by the transition to adolescence, which is the phase in which the character of the future adult begins to be shaped. Working with students' self-esteem, tension control and civility, Proerd also teaches techniques of self-control and resistance to peer pressure that encourage drug use, contributing to the formation of good citizens", he explained. According to Corporal Tosqui, in addition to being a preventive education program for drug use, Proerd also encourages children to develop a positive attitude towards the police and authorities and respect for the laws. The program will continue in the second semester, serving students from state schools and private schools.