AN EYE-OPENING FIELD TRIP

Local At-Risk Youth Take Tour Through Drug-Infested Area Of
Vancouver

The sight of a woman shooting up heroin in the alley in Downtown
Eastside, sent waves through June's body. The 15-year-old, recovering
from drug addiction, desperately wanted to take a hit. "Watching
people sticking needles in their arms is a big trigger for me," she
said.

June (Youth Services requested her real name not be disclosed) went on
a field trip to East Hastings last week along with eight other class
members from Chilliwack's alternative school for teens on probation,
as a part of a youth at-risk awareness program. The trip included a
walk down one of the more drug-infused areas known as "Blood Alley,"
to look at the harsh realities of long term drug use.

The trip as Simon Choi, program coordinator of R.E.A.L. (Recreation,
Education and Life Skills), said "it wasn't meant to be used as a
scare tactic," for the group.

"We wanted them to realize that these are real people, these are real
human beings that we're seeing."

Before the field trip Choi and probation officer James Morgan
debriefed the group with a movie about drugs and drug addiction to
ease them into the trip. But as Choi admits witnessing a drug
community in a documentary doesn't compare to witnessing it firsthand.

"We debriefed them with a video and told them that these are real
people, they aren't actors. Watching a video is one thing, but
actually seeing these people on the street--it was an eye opener for
them." Morgan works with troubled youth on a day-to-day basis and
although he's no stranger to troubling scenarios the field trip, at
times, even made him uneasy.

"For Simon and I there isn't a lot we haven't seen, but there were
still some intense moments where you're looking behind you and
thinking 'who's walking behind me know and what's going on,'" he said.
"It's eye-popping to watch a guy inject PCP into himself."

As for June, who is trying to get her life back on track after having
been expelled from public school and falling into a drug addiction the
field trip gave her insight and perspective.

"I don't want to fall again," she said. "I don't want to end up like
those people."

One of June's classmates, John, has been in and out of the alternative
school for four months. His focus is to finish school and replace his
addiction with skateboarding and the field trip only reinforced his
plan to stay clean.

"I've thought about doing hard drugs again, but now I don't want to.
I've had my fun. I want to get my schooling done and get a job," he
said. "I can't do drugs and skateboard and I want to skateboard. It
put more thought in my head and scared me a lot. I know I'm not going
to do drugs anymore because it's just pointless. It ruins yourself and
ruins you when you get older."

Another part of the trip included talks from former drug addicts that
found a way to get clean. Choi expressed shock about the of candour of
the speakers.

"The recovering addicts were honest and open with everything. The kids
needed that," he said. "They told us how their addiction started,
where they lived on the streets and for how many years and how they
overcame it all, in essence, their life story."

And despite having visual stimuli that triggered the group viscerally
during the course of the day, the teens used amazing restraint, Choi
said.

"These kids are labelled as high risk kids, they're here for a
reason," he said.

"And they have a lot of anxieties and attention issues, but the one
thing that we as a team were impressed with was when the tour was on
they were respectful and attentive."

Both Choi and Morgan agreed the trip to the Downtown Eastside proved
to be a success and it's something Youth Services would likely
participate in again.