The mascot is a cute, cuddly lion, but the issue to which Daren the Lion draws attention is far from pretty.
Nov. 18 to 24 marks National Addiction Awareness Week. As a part of an ongoing education campaign, Squamish's Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program toured its furry hero through local schools and will hit the Squamish Winter Farmers' Market.
"Ensuring that we generate awareness with our youth at an early age is really important," said RCMP Cpl. Raina Siou, the Lower Mainland's Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness Services coordinator.
In Canada, 15.7 years old represents the average age at which drug use starts. Approximately 20.6 per cent of Canadian youth have reported using opioid pain relievers.
Currently all Grade 5 students in Squamish go through the DARE program. The anti-drug education course's graduation occurs at local schools in May. This year, approximately 250 students completed the initiative.
"They are at an age where they area developing that skill to critically think," Siou said of the 10-year-old age group.
This month Sea to Sky Communities That Care - a research-supported prevention project that engages the community in promoting the positive development of young people - is set to release a report that focuses on issues, such as challenges local youth face, Siou noted. The document will help pinpoint problem areas and help DARE hone in on items, she said.
Squamish is switched on when it comes to helping its youth, she said. The business community along with non-profit organizations, such as Sea to Sky Community Services, aid in a multitude of initiatives, Siou said.
"There's a lot of support," she said.
