On Track: Peer-to-Peer Mentorship with the Odd Squad Productions Society
Some of the things a few people don’t know about me include the fact that when I was much younger, my parents made every single effort to enable me to explore different career options, including criminology, forensic science and police-related work. So that’s one of the reasons why I feel a very profound fondness for the work of the Odd Squad Productions. In fact, this coming Saturday, April 28, 2012, forty Grade 10 students nominated across the Lower Mainland will engage in this one-day interactive workshop with volunteer officers from the Vancouver Police Department and Odd Squad Productions Society. For those of you don’t know what the Odd Squad Productions Society do, they are a a non-profit organization dedicated to prevention education for youth.
This learning program is called ON TRACK and exposes participants to the harsh realities of drug use, addiction, and criminal lifestyle through interactions with police officers and street-entrenched people. Youth walk away educated with take-away lessons that will enable them to mentor their peers through school presentations about the realities of life they have learned. I find this kind of workshop extremely education and positive. I do believe that our future generations need mentoring from a young age, and the work of Odd Squad Productions Society helps shape the way in which Vancouver youth can evolve.
Agenda
· Saturday, April 28th 2012 from 10 AM – 10 PM: Interactive workshop at the new
VPD Tactical Training Centre in downtown Vancouver
o Welcome by VPD Chief Jim Chu
o Morning presentations dedicated to gang and drug awareness by expert squad members
o Afternoon interaction with emergency response (ERT), dog squad training, and Marine Squad boat rides
o Late afternoon participation in a VPD Judo Club class
o Evening walk-about escorted by beat officers on the DTES
· May 2012: Students are required to make a presentation to fellow students in association with a mentor (school counsellor/teacher or School Liaison Officer)
· Thursday, June 7th, 2012: Participants will be honoured as Youth Ambassadors and awarded medals at the 2012 Odd Squad Gala Fundraiser at the Vancouver Convention Centre. This year’s gala celebrates the 15th Anniversary of the Odd Squad.
More about the Odd Squad Productions Society:
With disturbing statistics, such as “60% of illicit drug users are between 15 to 24 years old”, there is a critical need to be proactive and protect youth. Odd Squad Productions Society educates young adults through documentaries, educational presentations and peer mentoring workshops. In 2010/2011 Odd Squad reached 38,000+ people with 372 presentations. Independently funded, OSP relies on corporate and private funding to sustain their mission.
