About keepin' it REAL
keepin' it REAL is a model multicultural drug resistance
and life skills curriculum for students in grades 6-9. Developed
for Hispanic/Latino, African American and White students, it aims
to increase students' important life skills, such as risk assessment,
decision making, and drug resistance, while enhancing anti-drug
norms and attitudes.
The curriculum was developed by Arizona State University and Penn
State University with funding provided by the National Institutes
of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse. It is published by
ETR Associates. To reach middle school youth, the curriculum developers
based the program on adolescents' narratives of how they had resisted
drugs. As a result, the curriculum incorporates the following four
drug resistance strategies represented by the acronym REAL:
- Refuse
offers of substance use in an assertive way that maintains social
acceptance and self-confidence
- Explain
your reason for refusal
- Avoid
situations where substances are used and offered
- Leave
situations where substances are used and offered
keepin’ it REAL uses a variety of engaging teaching
strategies, such as:
- games and quizzes,
- small group work,
- trigger and demonstration videos,
- roleplays, and
- worksheets and homework assignments
to encourage student participation and promote interaction among
students and with the teacher.
The lessons are 45-60 minutes each and are as follows:
- Lesson 1: Options and Choices (Part I and II)
- Lesson 2: Risks
- Lesson 3: Communication & Conflict
- Lesson 4: Refuse
- Lesson 5: Explain
- Lesson 6: Avoid
- Lesson 7: Leave
- Lesson 8: Personal Health Views & Beliefs
- Lesson 9: Feelings
- Lesson 10: Support Networks (Part I and II)
For more information about keepin' it REAL, see the kiREAL Fact
Sheet (a pdf file).
keepin' it REAL Works!
keepin' it REAL was initially evaluated with 35 public
middle schools in the southwestern United States. Data collected
over a two-year period from more than 6,000 students indicated that,
overall, students who received keepin' it REAL reported
better behavioral and psychosocial outcomes related to substance
use than did students who received other research-based substance
abuse prevention programs.
keepin’ it REAL students reported:
- 32-44% reduction in marijuana, tobacco and alcohol use
- 30-38% increase in knowledge about and negative attitudes towards
drug use
- 29-34% decrease in intent to accept substances
keepin' it REAL is "evidence-based" —
research proves that it works. keepin’ it REAL is
also science-based; it is built upon the following core elements
(as listed in Hecht et al, 2003):
- communication competence,
- narrative-based knowledge to enhance identification with the
prevention message,
- social norms (personal, injunctive, and descriptive),
- social learning of life skills and their role in risk assessment
and decision making,
- drug resistance strategies most commonly and effectively used
by adolescents, and
- social context.
keepin' it REAL is a Model Program! 
keepin' it REAL is being noticed! It has been identified
as:
keepin' it REAL is Unique!
keepin' it REAL is unique because it:
- Is Culturally Grounded: The curriculum builds
upon the cultural norms and strengths of the students, their families
and their community. In this way, the curriculum uses the protective
social processes present in families and communities to resist
offers of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
- Uses Youth Created Videos: Five short videos
were created "for youth, by youth" as an integral part
of keepin' it REAL. The videos demonstrate the refusal
strategies in depth and are infused with the students' ethnic
culture and youth culture which make their messages more relevant
to and more readily accepted by students.
- Teaches Life Skills: The curriculum focuses
on building the skills of students and encouraging their natural
inclinations to resist drug use. And, the skills the curriculum
teaches (eg. using "I" statements, refusing unwanted
offers, leaving pressure situations, etc.) can be used in many
areas of a student's life – not just around resisting drug
use!
Important Links
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