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Downtown Cops Use Algonquin Park Canoe Trip to Motivate Streetwise Youth | |
The first time Fleming showed his face at the Rock when he was new on the beat, the room went from full of kids one minute to half-empty the next. Now the pair of cops has more teens than they can handle wanting to join them for the second annual Living Rock youth canoe trip to Algonquin Provincial Park, starting Tuesday. Bull, who took over the downtown bike beat three years ago, and Fleming dreamt up the trip over a camp fire in Killarney Provincial Park two years ago. Taking in the stars and feeling the ache in their muscles from a day of portaging, they wondered how they could share the experience with the street- involved at-risk youth who turn to the Rock for food, shelter, clothing, job training and support. |  |
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"When I first raised it, the kids were like, 'Hang out with cops? Did I hear you right?,'" says Rock youth worker Tim Laws. "But when the group got back last year, they were telling everybody, 'Cops are OK to hang out with. They played cards with me. We went swimming. It was a good time.'" Bull, an outdoor enthusiast since boyhood, says the majesty and peace of the wilderness is something he believes everyone should have a chance to experience. "One kid had never been out of Hamilton," he said of the five youths that went on the inaugural trip. "Another one had never eaten steak before -- and we're talking 18 to 22 year olds. They have more experience in some areas but not enough in others." Toronto police run a similar program for 12 to 15 year olds. Bull and Fleming feel strongly that, although many Rock clients are legally adults, they still need -- and deserve -- a helping hand from their community. This year, Bull and Fleming, three youth workers and one other adult will take seven Rock clients for three days of camping and canoeing. All of the teens chosen to go are working to get back to school or to find a job and deserve a pat on the back for hard work, says Bull. While he developed the program in order to improve police-youth relations, he's found it's had many unexpected benefits. A major one is learning team work. "For these kids, a lot of people have let them down," Laws says. "This is a way to show them that they can depend on people." It was also a learning experience for Bull, who was expecting at least a bit of whining. "I expected to have to talk them through things but I didn't have to. I think if the kids had been a little more affluent, I might have run into that. "But when you've been homeless and hungry, even a trip like this can seem like a bit of a luxury." For more information or to donate to the canoe trip, visit www.livingrock.ca. sboase@thespec.com 905-526-2452 | |