N '’
S i e February 2001

  

The Douglas College Newsletter

n New Westminster Campus, David Lam Campus & Thomas Haney Campus

IN

Douglas College

New program in development for youth
justice workers

The stories flood the media
onan almost weekly basis:
another youth has been
charged with murder.
Juveniles lead the pack in
property crime. Female
young offenders seem to be
swelling the ranks every
year. While youth crime
rates have actually decreased
in recent years, there’s an
obvious concern in British
Columbia about youths
involved with the law.

So what can be done? Until
now, specialized training for

people who work with
youth in trouble with the
law was extremely limited in
BC. But now, a new
program in development at
Douglas College might just
be the solution to this
problem.

The Youth Justice Worker
Program, set to begin in
September 2001, is
spearheaded by Child and
Youth Care instructor Dave
Burgess and Criminology
instructor John Fleming.
The program will prepare
graduates to work with

President's
Writing Contest

If you work with students, please encourage

them to participate in the President's Writing
Contest on Diversity. The purpose of the

contest is to appreciate diversity and raise its
awareness on campus as well as to highlight the

importance of literacy.

Students may submit original work which has

not been published or submitted as college

work. Submissions may be creative, in the form

of poetry, short story or play or a piece of

creative non-fiction. Written pieces may also be

academic, such as essays or reports.

The deadline for submissions is February 20,
2001. All work will be judged by committee
with prizes awarded and made public on March
21 as part of the College’s Diversity Week and
in conjunction with the United Nations
International Day for the Elimination of

Racism.

Contest Rules and Application Forms should

accompany each entry and may be picked up in

the library of each campus.

 

youth in a variety of settings
and roles within the youth
justice system.

“There’s a definite supply
and demand problem in
this area,” says Burgess.
“Employers have told us
that they need qualified
employees to work with
youth in the justice sector.
There are also many people
who have learned their skills
on the job but now find
that they need credentialing
as well as more specific
training.”

Take the challenge

“The RCMP are looking at
the retirement ofa fairly
significant group of
members within the next
four years — projections of
up to almost 50 percent,”
says Fleming. “The
feedback we've received is
that the RCMP is quite
excited about this program
because a significant portion
of police matters,
somewhere between 60 and
70 percent, involve a
juvenile. They're looking
quite favourably on this
program because of the
youth emphasis.”

green spaces

If you live in New
Westminster, Burnaby,
Coquitlam, Delta, Surrey,
Richmond and Vancouver
youre invited to show off
your green thumb and
enter the Backyard Habitat
Enhancement Challenge
promoting wildlife gardens
in residential areas.
Sponsored by Douglas
College’s Institute of
Urban Ecology, GREEN
LINKS, BC Hydro, BC
Gas and the BC E-Team,
the challenge encourages
participants to transform
their cultivated backyards
into havens that provide
shelter, food and water for
birds and wildlife.
Registration begins
immediately and continues
until June 1.

With five categories to
choose from — Backyard,
Balcony, Riparian
(waterways, creeks, etc.),
Neighborhood and
Commercial — you have
the opportunity to

transform a variety of green
spaces into wildlife
habitats. Participants will
receive an information
package containing tips
and suggestions on
designing wildlife gardens.

The Institute of Urban
Ecology is also offering free
workshops where you'll
learn how to create a

The Youth Justice Worker
Program combines courses
from the Faculty of Child,
Family and Community
Studies with courses from
the Faculty of Humanities
and Social Sciences.

“It’s a real breakthrough,”
says Vice President of
Instruction John
McKendry. “There are very
few problems in society
today that can be dealt with
through a single discipline
or field of study. You have
to look at the cross-

disciplinary approach. This

    

is the best example I’ve seen

ofa truly cross-disciplinary
program. John and Dave
have done a marvelous job
— they've really pushed the
envelope for the College.”

The Youth Justice Worker
Program is scheduled to
begin in September 2001,
pending final government
approval and funding. For
more information, please
call Dave Burgess at 527-
5125 or John Fleming at
52725309.

to enhance city

natural west coast garden
that will attract birds,
butterflies and other
wildlife. Techniques, such
as selecting and planting
native plants, designing
theme gardens and
building bird and bat
boxes will be discussed.
Workshop dates:
¢ Tues Feb 13

David Lam Campus

(rm A2100) 12-1pm
¢ Tues Mar 13
David Lam Campus
(rm A2100) 7-8pm
© Wed, Mar 7
New Westminster Campus
(rm 1730) 12-lpm

For more information or to
register, please call Erika at
the Institute of Urban

Ecology at 527-5522.

 

One of the past winning gardens from the Institute of Urban Ecology's

Backyard Habitat Enhancement Challenge.

 

Quote of the Month

“We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it
with the employees.”

Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division