STA STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT THE GRIM REALITY OF DRUG ADDICTION

When parents and educators preach to teens about the perils of drug
abuse it often fosters curiosity.

Armed with this information, seven Vancouver Police Department
officers developed a program 14 years ago that exposes teens to the
raw side of drug addiction by immersing them on the streets of the
Downtown Eastside for an afternoon.

The intent is that students will then report their experience to
classmates and peers.

VPD Const. David Steverding is a member of the volunteer-run Odd Squad
Productions Society that runs the program. His niece attends Saint
Thomas Aquinas High School in North Vancouver. This fall, Steverding
approached the school's administration to gauge their interest in
participating in a pilot project for North Shore schools. They bit.

STA law teacher Greg McCaffery helped handpick a dozen Grade 11 and 12
students for the program.

On a Saturday morning in early November the students ditched a
hallmark of their Catholic school education. There had been a
collective "'no' when asked if they should wear their uniforms on
the Downtown Eastside.

The students were afraid area residents might think they wanted to
preach to them.

The students were accompanied by their teacher Mr. McCaffery, a school
counsellor and STA's police liaison, Const. Christy Mohr of the
North Vancouver RCMP during their tour of the hardscrabble
neighbourhood with the Odd Squad. They split into groups and zeroed in
on Main and Hastings streets.

"oeStanding around the Carnegie Centre there were so many drug deals
going on even though there was a police officer with us," said STA
senior Miranda Defer.

The stench of human feces and urine travelled with the students down
alleys and side streets, they recalled. Residents of the area openly
smoked crack.

Then came the tour of the single room occupancy Balmoral and Regent
hotels.

"oeIt had a different smell on every floor," said Grade 11 student
Natasha Marzbani. "oeThere were some people that didn't like you
staring at them."

Her group met a guy that everyone in the area knows simply as
"'Chains' because he routinely adorns himself in industrial chains.
They woke him up from a nap. He told them of a lawsuit he has going
with his neighbour.

Another man was picking at his arm with a syringe. The students
learned how he desperately wants to get off the streets. He had a wife
and a job as a bricklayer. He lost them to drugs. The students
estimated he was in his early thirties.

One Grade 11 student noticed a girl who looked to be high school aged
hanging around a man who was "oeway older than her." Other Downtown
Eastside observations by the students: an overrepresentation of First
Nations people.

"oeMy parents always lock the doors when we drive by that area,"
added one female student during the roundtable discussion on Thursday.

Justen Bungag interjected with "oeI feel like it's somewhat of a
stereotype to say that all street people are dangerous," adding that
some people he met were remorseful and not proud of the things they
have done to get the drugs.

The afternoon spent on the Downtown Eastside is being characterized as
an eye-opener by the students. The same can be said about the common
misconception that drug use doesn't exist in a high school setting.

"oeI hate to say it but it's probably as prevalent as public
schools," said McCaffery, a former VPD officer.

"oeWith independent schools there is much more pressure on the
students to be high performers in society."

An immediate hum filled the classroom. The students all chimed
in.

"oeI've seen it. It's younger students too. It's a weird sight
to be seeing someone who you think should be playing with G.I. Joes
smoking pot."

Now, it's up to the Odd Squad graduates to talk to their peers about
the repercussions of drug use. They are scheduled to give a
presentation to the Grade 8 students in January. McCaffery is also
exploring the possibility of having the group speak to Grade 7
students from STA's feeder schools.