STUDENTS TAKE STAND FOR A SAFER SCHOOL

Tackling issues like bullying and drug use among high school students isn't
an easy task. But a group of pupils at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate
Institute are rising to the challenge in an effort to improve safety at
their school.

About 20 students meet every Thursday at lunchtime to talk about how they
can create a safer environment at the Guildwood Parkway school.

The students are participants in the ESP (Empowered Student Partnerships)
program, a joint initiative involving the Toronto Police Service, the
Canadian Safe School Network, city council, ProAction and Toronto school
boards.

Launched in September, the program focuses on encouraging students to take
ownership of their school and plan a year-long safe schools initiative.

"You have a right to come to a school where you feel safe," said Myu
Patmanathan, a Grade 11 student at Laurier who views the program as a means
to effect change in his school and create a safer environment for the
students that will follow.

"If you can't cope with the curriculum changes and you feel unsafe, it
really sucks to come to school," he said.

By being involved in the program, students have an opportunity to provide
input and talk about ideas to address specific problems, he said.

"Safe schools should be something you have control over," he said.

The Laurier group conducted a survey at the beginning of the year to gauge
which issues students felt were the most important to address.

"We found that a lot of the younger classes found high school more
intimidating," said Grade 11 student Kowshika Thiriuparanathan.

STUDENT CONCERNS She said bullying, gangs and drug abuse were the most
common concerns raised by students. She added the ESP group is planning to
address those issues with Grade 8 students this year so they'll be more
comfortable when they arrive at Laurier in the fall.

Grade 11 student John Laforet said he believes it's important to talk with
the students who'll be entering Grade 9 in September before they arrive so
they can get a clear picture of what Laurier is all about.

He said he wants students to know Laurier "is not a bad school and behaviour
like bullying is not tolerated."

Laforet decided to get involved in the program because he wanted to have an
impact on the school, something he believes the group is doing.

"Our numbers have been getting bigger," he said, adding he likes the program
because it is "run with the police, not by the police.

"This is not a way of telling on people," Laforet said. "It's not a way to
rat on one another."

To date the group has organized a forum on bullying for Grade 9 and 10
students and they're planning an event centred on drug abuse in the coming
weeks.

Toronto police Const. Michelle Van Dam, of the youth services unit, said the
program is intended to be a "fun initiative that heightens awareness" about
safety issues at the city's schools.

She said about 50 high schools throughout Toronto have registered for the
program to date.

"It's not a mandatory program," she said, adding "our hopes are to get all
high schools on board."

Van Dam, who is in the process of meeting with ESP participants at schools
throughout the city, said schools are addressing a variety of issues,
including bullying, drug use, theft and graffiti.

"There is a really wide spectrum. Each school is a community unto itself,"
she said. "It is their community and their environment," Van Dam said. "They
should be given the ownership."

"Students know best about the environment they're in," said Wilmin Wong, who
serves as the teacher advisor to Laurier's ESP group. "This is kind of neat
because the whole idea is about empowering students."

She reported the group is not intended as a means for students to rat out
their friends and said students who join can earn community service hours
toward their required 40 hours of volunteer work.

Patmanathan, who attended a forum on creating a safer city for youth held at
Metro Hall recently, said he hopes the program will cause students to think
twice before they get themselves into trouble.

"It's pointless to chuck away your life in five minutes of violence, in five
minutes of harassment or five minutes of vandalism," he said, noting the
group can't tell students how to live their lives, but they can offer
alternatives.

He wants to get the word out that "there are programs available, so when
someone is at a crossroads ... they will have one more option to think
about."

Patmanathan is also hoping other schools will jump on board and get with the
program.

"We're just hoping to expand ESP. There's not a lot of schools that have it
and I think that's such a shame," he said, noting those schools are losing
out.

"I think ESP is a spark. You don't know how far students will go in their
communities," he said. "It's a great way to make a difference. Plus you get
volunteer hours and you get skills."

"Every year we'll tackle different issues so our school and our community
becomes a safer and a better place to be," Thiriuparanathan said.