Share This With All the Schools, Please
TEACHERS- THE FRONT LINE WARRIOR ANGEL PROTECTORS/LEADERS AND THE
PERFECT NINJA LOVE STRATEGY OF OUR
CHILDREN
Afterwards, we sat for a few minutes and talked about teaching children and what a sacred trust and responsibility it is. We agreed that subjects like math and reading are the least important things that are learned in a classroom. We talked about shaping little hearts to become contributors to a larger community – and we discussed our mutual dream that those communities might be made up of individuals who are Kind and Brave above all. - See more at: http://momastery.com/blog/2014/01/30/share-schools/#sthash.uwYMcyQ2.dpuf
And then she told me this.
Every Friday afternoon Chase’s teacher asks her students to take out a
piece of paper and write down the names of four children with whom they’d like
to sit the following week. The children know that these requests may or may not
be honored. She also asks the students to nominate one student whom they
believe has been an exceptional classroom citizen that week. All ballots are
privately submitted to her.
And every single Friday afternoon, after the students go home, Chase’s
teacher takes out those slips of paper, places them in front of her and studies
them. She looks for patterns.
Who
is not getting requested by anyone else?
Who
doesn’t even know who to request?
Who
never gets noticed enough to be nominated?
Who
had a million friends last week and none this week?
You see, Chase’s teacher is not looking for a new seating chart or
“exceptional citizens.” Chase’s teacher is looking for lonely children. She’s
looking for children who are struggling to connect with other children. She’s
identifying the little ones who are falling through the cracks of the class’s
social life. She is discovering whose gifts are going unnoticed by their peers.
And she’s pinning down- right away- who’s being bullied and who is doing the
bullying.
As a teacher, parent, and lover of all children – I think that this is
the most brilliant Love Ninja strategy I have ever encountered. It’s like
taking an X-ray of a classroom to see beneath the surface of things and into
the hearts of students. It is like mining for gold – the gold being those
little ones who need a little help – who need adults to step in and TEACH them
how to make friends, how to ask others to play, how to join a group, or how to
share their gifts with others. And it’s a bully deterrent because every teacher
knows that bullying usually happens outside of her eyeshot – and that
often kids being bullied are too intimidated to share. But
as she said – the truth comes out on those safe, private, little sheets of
paper.
As Chase’s teacher explained this simple, ingenious idea – I stared at
her with my mouth hanging open. “How long have you been using this system?” I
said.
Ever
since Columbine, she said. Every single Friday afternoon
since Columbine.
Good Lord.
This brilliant woman watched Columbine knowing that ALL VIOLENCE BEGINS
WITH DISCONNECTION. All outward violence begins as inner loneliness. She
watched that tragedy KNOWING that children who aren’t being noticed will
eventually resort to being noticed by any means necessary.
And so she decided to start fighting violence early and often, and with
the world within her reach. What Chase’s teacher is doing when she sits in her
empty classroom studying those lists written with shaky 11 year old hands
- is SAVING LIVES. I am convinced of it. She is saving lives.
And what this former NASA scientist and mathematician has learned while
using this system is something she really already knew: that everything – even
love, even belonging – has a pattern to it. And she finds those patterns
through those lists – she breaks the codes of disconnection. And then she gets
lonely kids the help they need. It’s math to her. It’s MATH.
All is love- even math. Amazing.
Chase’s teacher retires this year – after decades
of saving lives. What a way to spend a life: looking for patterns of love and
loneliness. Stepping in, every single day- and altering the trajectory of
our world.
TEACH ON, WARRIORS. You are the first responders, the front line, the
disconnection detectives, and the best and ONLY hope we’ve got for a better
world. What you do in those classrooms when no one is watching-
it’s our best hope.
Teachers- you’ve got a million parents behind you whispering together:
“We don’t care about the damn standardized tests. We only care that you teach
our children to be Brave and Kind. And we thank you. We thank you for saving
lives.”
Love – All of Us
THE DAY I TAUGHT HOW NOT TO RAPE
Yesterday, the news invaded my classroom. I think the kids aren’t paying attention. I think the kids only care about the news as it relates to Justin Bieber. I think they aren’t listening or capable of advanced thought. Every single time I think one of those things, I sell out the ninth-graders that come traipsing through my room every day.
It started when I picked this poem to go over different ways to look at poetry:
Witness
Martha Collins
If she says something now he’ll say
it’s not true if he says it’s not true
they’ll think it’s not true if they think
it’s not true it will be nothing new
but for her it will be a weightier
thing it will fill up the space where
he isn’t allowed it will open the door
of the room where she’s put him
away he will fill up her mind he will fill
up her plate and her glass he will fill up
her shoes and her clothes she will never
forget him he says if she says
something now if she says something ever
he never will let her forget and it’s true
for a week for a month but the more
she says true and the more he says not
the smaller he seems he may fill up
his shoes he may fill up his clothes
the usual spaces he fills but something
is missing whatever they say whatever
they think he is not what he was
and the room in her mind is open she
walks in and out as she pleases she says
what she pleases she says what she means.
it’s not true if he says it’s not true
they’ll think it’s not true if they think
it’s not true it will be nothing new
but for her it will be a weightier
thing it will fill up the space where
he isn’t allowed it will open the door
of the room where she’s put him
away he will fill up her mind he will fill
up her plate and her glass he will fill up
her shoes and her clothes she will never
forget him he says if she says
something now if she says something ever
he never will let her forget and it’s true
for a week for a month but the more
she says true and the more he says not
the smaller he seems he may fill up
his shoes he may fill up his clothes
the usual spaces he fills but something
is missing whatever they say whatever
they think he is not what he was
and the room in her mind is open she
walks in and out as she pleases she says
what she pleases she says what she means.
It is ambiguous. I suppose that is the point. The best literature for me to teach is the kind that gives the kids enough to be interested in, but they still don’t have a clear idea of what is going on. We spend the day looking at the poem from every angle we can find, or at least that is the plan.
Yesterday, pretty immediately, someone in the back shot their hand up and did not wait for me to call on them. “Ms. Norman, this poem is about rape.” It wasn’t a question. It is rare for a fifteen-year-old to speak about anything with this kind of authority, let alone poetry. A few kids chimed in to agree with the first student and I admitted that I often read the poem that way, even if you don’t have to. I was about to launch into an explanation of other ways this poem could be read.
“Ms. Norman” another kid called, “Have you heard about that rape case in Ohio? Those guys got convicted. They have to go to jail. They are going to lose their scholarships. They were going to D-1 schools!”
“Well…”I responded, feeling the heat crawl up my neck, “maybe they are going to jail for rape because THEY ARE RAPISTS!” I yelled those last three words at my kids and watched as some of them blinked in surprise. Apparently, the thought had never occurred to them that these athletes who were convicted of rape, were in fact rapists.
It is a strange thing about looking into the face of a 15-year-old, to really see who they are. You still see the small child that their mother sees. You see the man or woman they will be before they graduate. They are babies whose innocence you want desperately to protect. They are old enough to know better, even if no one has taught them.
I realized then that some of my kids were genuinely confused. “How can she be raped?” they asked, “She wasn’t awake to say no.” These words out of a full fledged adult would have made me furious. I did get a good few minutes in response on victim blaming and why it is so terrible. But out of the face of a kid who still has baby fat, those words just made me sick. My students are still young enough, that mostly they just spout what they have learned, and they have learned that absent a no, the yes is implied.
It is uncomfortable to think that some of the students you still call babies have the potential to be rapists. It is sickening, it is terrifying, but it is true. It is a reality we have to face. My students have lived in a world for fifteen years where the joke “she probably wanted it” isn’t really a joke, they need to unlearn some lessons that no one will admit to teaching them.
Standing in front of my classroom and stating that a woman’s clothing choice is never permission to rape her should not be a radical act. But only a few heads nodded in agreement. Most were stunned, like this was a completely new thought. The follow up questions were terrifying in their earnestness. “Ms. Norman, you mean a woman walking down the street naked is not her inviting sex? How will I know she wants to have sex?” A surprisingly bold voice came out of a girl in the back “You’ll know when she says, you want to have sex?!”
If you want to keep teens from being rapists, you can no longer assume that they know how. You HAVE to talk about it. There is no longer a choice. It is no longer enough to talk to our kids about the mechanics of sex, it probably never was. We have to talk about consent, what it means, and how you are sure you have it. We have to teach clearly and boldly that consent is (in the words of Dianna E. Anderson) an enthusiastic, unequivocal YES!
What came next, when the idea of a clear yes came up, is the reason I will always choose to teach freshmen. They are still young enough to want to entertain new ideas. When we reversed the conversation from, “well she didn’t say no,” to “she has to say YES!” many of them lit up. “Ms. Norman,” they said, “that does make a lot more sense.” “Ms. Norman,” they exclaimed, “that way leaves a lot less confusion.” When one of the boys asked, well what do you want me to do, get a napkin and make her sign it, about four girls from the back yelled, YEAH!
What happened in Steubenville makes me sick, but we are kidding ourselves if we think that it is not representative of what is happening in basement parties after the homecoming game all across America. Our kids want to talk about it. They need to talk about it. We need to have conversations about consent that are not centered around what should have been done, but are instead centered on what will be done in the future. Our teens can handle it, I promise they can.
A strong understanding of consent as an enthusiastic and unequivocal yes is essential to reversing the culture that our teens have grown up in. The amazing thing is the way my students responded to the conversation. Our students want a better way, it is our responsibility to show it to them, even if it is scary, especially when it might make us uncomfortable.
Our students are paying attention. They do care about what is going on in the world. They do listen and are capable of advanced thought. I am done selling out the ninth-graders that traipse through my room every day. The news will no longer invade my classroom, instead I will invite it.
Is is worth noting that the young people involved in this incident were nearly the same age as your students?
I am glad y’all are talking about it, I hope it happens in high schools across the country because there appears to be a culture of confusion here (not surprising, as our adult culture is pretty confused as well). Our young people get a lot of mixed messages that as adults we just learn to cope with. I think we take for granted that young folks understand oppression, sexism and exploitation—but how will they learn to identify it when they see it in movies, on TV, in song lyrics, etc if there isn’t someone along the way to point it out? It just becomes the norm. A norm that needs changing.
I am glad y’all are talking about it, I hope it happens in high schools across the country because there appears to be a culture of confusion here (not surprising, as our adult culture is pretty confused as well). Our young people get a lot of mixed messages that as adults we just learn to cope with. I think we take for granted that young folks understand oppression, sexism and exploitation—but how will they learn to identify it when they see it in movies, on TV, in song lyrics, etc if there isn’t someone along the way to point it out? It just becomes the norm. A norm that needs changing.
Thanks for your work.
Classified
- Inner Ninja ft. David Myles
COMMENT:
Great song from Canadian rapper Classified.
nobody's gonna see me coming.
nobody's gonna hear a sound.
no matter how hard they tryin,
nobody's gonna bring me down.
Couldn't have been said (or sung) much better kids.
nobody's gonna see me coming.
nobody's gonna hear a sound.
no matter how hard they tryin,
nobody's gonna bring me down.
Couldn't have been said (or sung) much better kids.
CLASSIFIED- INNERNINJA- THE PERFECT KID VIDEO ON BULLYING...
WITH DAVID MYLES- Classified has spent a long time helping homeless kids and
kids and youth in jeopardy...... Classified’s 3’Tall plays it hard against abuse of women and
children and bullying..... and Classified’s /David Myles Inner Ninja... and The
Day Doesn’t Die on ... youth... don’t give up... inspires the world on this
day..
- NO MORE
BULLYING AND BULLYCIDES-
LINKS ON
BULLYING AND CHILD ABUSE- (Mind Rape/Physical Torture/Sexual Assault)
FOR KIDS-
TWEENS-TEENS-YOUNGBLOODS- But perhaps most of all..... each and every Canadain
Adult- we must take more responsibility and be more vigilant:
To learn more
about bullying and if u r being abused- check out:
RespectED:
Violence & Abuse Prevention
The Day
I Taught How Not to Rape
Read how a
ninth-grade teacher helped her class confront the issues. Seehttp://accidentaldevotional.com/2013/03/19/the-day-i-taught-how-not-to-rape/
If you are a
victim of bullying, call The Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.
Please
don't give up- everybody hurts... sometimes... hold on, hold on, hold on
R.E.M.
~ Everybody Hurts
Lyrics:
When
your day is long and the night
The
night is yours alone
When
you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on
Don't
let yourself go
Everybody
cries and everybody hurts sometimes
Sometimes
everything is wrong
Now
it's time to sing along
When
your day is night alone (hold on, hold on)
If
you feel like letting go (hold on)
When
you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on
Everybody
hurts
Take
comfort in your friends.
Everybody
hurts
Don't
throw your hand. Oh, no
Don't
throw your hand
If
you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone
If
you're on your own in this life
The
days and nights are long
When
you think you've had too much of this life to hang on
Well,
everybody hurts sometimes
Everybody
cries
And
everybody hurts sometimes
And
everybody hurts sometimes
So,
hold on, hold on
Hold
on, hold on
Hold
on, hold on
(Hold
on, hold on)
Everybody
hurts
You
are not alone
R.E.M.-
Everybody Hurts
---------
O
CANADA- Akina Shirt - Cree Anthem singer - Calgary Flames Hockey
O
Canada- Classified
O
Canada - Bilingual Version- every day is Remembrance Day in our Canada
----------------
ON
FEBRRUARY 14, 2014- come join world’s women and children- One Billion Rising – Break the Chains of
Abuse- No more excuses- We want Justice... V-DAY.... and then we were jumping.... powerful video around the world.... inspiring...
One Billion Rising
Published on Jan 8, 2014
On 19 January 2014, the
official One Billion Rising 2013 documentary short will premiere at Sundance,
the preeminent film festival founded by One Billion Rising supporter, Robert
Redford!
In celebration, we invite you to host a Sundance Rising Viewing Party as a lead up to your 2014 One Billion Rising for Justice events. Gather activists, volunteers, community members, and organizations in houses, dorms, movie theaters, stadiums, auditoriums, parks, and malls between 19 January to 25 January to screen the film and help build momentum for this years initiatives, while honoring last years accomplishments.
REGISTER Your Viewing Party at http://www.onebillionrising.org/3943/...
In celebration, we invite you to host a Sundance Rising Viewing Party as a lead up to your 2014 One Billion Rising for Justice events. Gather activists, volunteers, community members, and organizations in houses, dorms, movie theaters, stadiums, auditoriums, parks, and malls between 19 January to 25 January to screen the film and help build momentum for this years initiatives, while honoring last years accomplishments.
REGISTER Your Viewing Party at http://www.onebillionrising.org/3943/...
And...
One Billion Rising Halifax 2013- ST. MARY'S UNIVERSITY- We got ur backs girls.... women.... ladies...gals.... we got ur backs
This event at Saint Mary's
University was organized in part, to bring awareness to this years production
of the acclaimed play The Vagina Monologues. One Billion Rising is also a
celebration of progress in the work to end domestic violence.
We rise too, as a reminder that the discussion and activism need to continue.
We rise too, as a reminder that the discussion and activism need to continue.
And...
BLOGGED;
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: One Billion
Rising- no more excuses or abuses- girls and women matter in this world- St.
Mary's University needs 2 get with 2day's world and human dignity - privileged
indifference does NOT work in Canada- Women equal Men in Canada- Blogs -ALWAYS
...GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS
AND..
BREAK THE CHAIN- ONE BILLION RISING
and..
BLOGGED;
'Girl
power' crucial in push to achieve global development goals, says Ban in
Davos-JAN 24- UN NEWS 2014-ONE BILLION RISING-no more abuses or excuses-Women
Matter -October CANADA- John Baird addresses UN 4 Women's Rights and horrid
abuses of girls -women/Cher nails it/Congo disgrace/USA-Canada Child Sex
Trafficking- Canada women equal men...period- ?CAN'TRESTOF THEWORLD?
------------
AUDREY
HEPBURN – WHEN ASKED 2 SHARE HER BEAUTY TIPS…
For
attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For
lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For
a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For
beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers throuh it once a day.
For
poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People
even more than things need to be restored, renewed, revivied, reclaimed and
redeemed.
Remember,
if you ever need a helping hand, you will find on at the end of each of your
arms.
As
you grow older you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping
yourself, and the other for helping others.”
PHOTO:
Katherine Hepburn and the love of her life Spencer Tracy
--------------
When ur alone life can be tough... it’s like ur 3 Foot Tall
Classified
- 3 Foot Tall
COMMENT: Trust Me, we have ALL Been Told We Were
Useless. Step up ur game, Cause The Boat Is Just About To Rock. JUST BE BRIGHT,
VIBRENT, COLORFUL, BE.. YOU! :)
O
Canada - French version by the First Nations Children's Choir
by
Nova Scotia
To
the accompaniment by the Canadian Armed Forces band, the First Nations
Children's Choir sings the French version of O Canada at ceremonies at Fort
York on Saturday, April 27, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Battle
of York.
comment:Very
good, But not a french version its a first nations version
NOTE:
it’s actually First Nations- O Canada not French and soooo beautiful...
---
VANCOUVER
WINTER OLYMPICS/PARALYMPICS 2010-
CANADA (taps out 2 our Canadian
team SOCHI WINTER OLYMPICS/PARALYMPICS
2014- MOTHER RUSSIA)
O
Canada (Bilingual Version)
O
Canada - ka-kanatahk the National Anthem in Cree
COMMENT:
impressive
performance
I
really like it.
I
just wish the "smart" and "intelligent" people would
respect the nature as natives do.
TRUE
PATRIOT LOVE EXPEDITION- Injured Canadian soldiers and high-powered executives
are teaming up to mount an expedition to ski the North Pole this spring called
True Patriot Love Expedition from April 19 until May 2, 2014. Left to right:
Canadian Arctic expert, Richard Weber, Peter Burcew, injured soldier, Paul
Desmarais III, corporate co-chair, François Dupere, injured soldier, Shauna
Davies, injured soldier, David Quick, soldier team captain and Tim Hodgson,
corporate co chair
Ski
expedition to raise awareness and money to help Canadian veterans recover from
mental and physical injuries
ONE BILLION RISING- break the
chain- no more abuses or excuses. Grls
and Women rise up and celebrate global women February 14 2014- UN this week acknowledged global Girl Power-
how about signatory in 2014 that women equal men? Let's dance, smile, toast women globaly-
it's our time
Español | Français. There are 7
billion people on the planet. Half are women. One third of them are raped or
beaten. V-Day refuses to watch as more than one billion ...
--------------------
Rehtaeh Parsons.... the face of every little girl in the world meant 2 be loved 4ever and 4 always.....
-------------------
U are a child of the universe- no less than the trees and
the stars- u have a right 2 be here....
CHILD
OF THE UNIVERSE (Lyrics) Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and
haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without
surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and
clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their
story.
Avoid loud and aggressive
persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with
others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater
and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well
as your plans.
Keep interested in your career,
however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business
affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to
what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of
heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign
affection.
Neither be critical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the
grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the
years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to
shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue
and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to
you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and
aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and
broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann 1927
#WeAreWinter
"Behind-the-Scenes"Cat: #WEAREWINTER, Tags: #WeAreWinter, Sochi
2014,WeRWinter olympic.ca/games/2014-soc… olympic.ca
@WoundWarriorCA results 5,472,585.90 -recordsetting
#BellLetsTalk Day: http://ow.ly/t5gGl Congrats to @Bell_LetsTalk &Canadians!
Remembering
our Vancouver Winter Olympics/Paralympics 2010 Canada AND TAPS OUT... 2r
Canadian Team 4 Sochi Winter Olympics/Paralympics 2014 Mother Russia
O
Canada (Bilingual Version)
#WeAreWinter
“Behind-the-Scenes”Cat: #WEAREWINTER, Tags: #WeAreWinter, Sochi 2014,WeRWinter http://olympic.ca/games/2014-sochi/
… http://olympic.ca/
Canada
Commemorates 100th Anniversary of the Great War- WWI started in 1914. War of
1812 created us with our First Peoples- WWI defined us -Vimy Ridge. This is a
beautiful dedication by High School Students who were devestated by 4 Canadians
in 2007 and they wrote and performed this incredible historical documentary 2
honour Canada's Forces- land, sea and air... Malvern Collegiate Instit. 2007-
Proud Canadian Soldier
Malvern Collegiate Instit. 2007- Proud
Canadian Soldier
HONOURING OUR NATO TROOPS
BLOGGED:
CANADA
MILITARY NEWS: South Pole Wounded Warriors Allied Challenge-Incredible story
and victory of 4 counries of Wounded Warriors - Antartica 2 South Pole- Victory
run/walk success- in harshest climates- UK/Canada/Australia and USA- The
Journey and success proving 2 a billion folks proudly- disabilities are
abilities in disguise- did we make u proud- u surely did and
do..Environmentalists could NOT make it.... u ran and walked it.... the world
rejoiced and Santa and NORAD hugged u along the way.The Journey 2 Victory
blogged daily- December 2013/O CANADA TROOPS- we love u so- honour
--------------
----------------------
Here's
a Thank U 2 R Canadian Troops
Wishing
our Canadian troops home safe - Standing on Guard 4 Thee
Dennis
LeClair 2 Our Canadian Troops
-------------------
.jpg)
twitter
Know
some1 hurting? Sendupthe Count- WWW.MILNET.CA hashtag
?#?sendupthecount?http://milnewsca.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/send-up-the-count/ nSOLDIERS4SOLDIERS 18553738387
AND..
rVETSMATTER-soldier2soldier VETS CANADA- tollfree phone line, 1-888CAVETS1
(1-888-228-3871) call-in centre that serves the country http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1182731-dunne-a-rescue-mission-for-troubled-vets
…
AND..
CANADA- A new toll-free support line,
1-855-373-8387, was launched today, established for soldiers by other soldiers
IN OUR CANADA- OUR TROOPS MATTER- THEN, NOW ALWAYS..... Politicans need 2 remember this
Dieppe
Bell Commercial-An old Bell commercial about a kid who calls his grandfather to
thank him for everything he did in WW2. For a commercial, it is pretty moving.
----------
PLS
SHARE ON UR SITES: Know someone hurting? Send up the Count- WWW.MILNET.CA hashtag
?#?sendupthecount? –thx http://milnewsca.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/send-up-the-count/
nSOLDIERS4SOLDIERS
1-855-373-8387
AND..
CANADA
: That’s why one group has stepped up with its own support system, independent
of the military.
AND..
CANADA- A new toll-free support line,
1-855-373-8387, was launched today, established for soldiers by other soldiers
and..
VETS
Canada volunteers have sometimes spent up to 72 hours in hospital emergency
rooms with at-risk and suicidal veterans.
A
toll-free phone line, 1-888CAVETS1 (1-888-228-3871) connects to an emergency
call-in centre that serves the country, from the Atlantic to the Pacific and to
the Arctic oceans.
RESCUE
MISSION 4 TROUBLED VETS
A
rescue mission for troubled vets
Tim
Dunne is a Halifax-based communications consultant and militar y affairs
writer.
Their
demons were born in the various Canadian missions in far-away places like
Bosnia Herzegovina, Rwanda, Somalia and Afghanistan. Military and RCMP members
return from thes e deployments haunted by the events they witnessed in places
where our nation has sent them.
The
post-Cold War era has been the cru cible for new and more sadistic conflict,
beginning in the early 1990s with the ethnic cleansing of the Balkans and Rwanda.
It has also added a new generation of veterans to those already plagued by
psychological, mental and physical injuries, including depression, attempted
suicide and uncontrolled rage.
This
makes it difficult, if not impossible, to live with their families or in a
traditionally stru ctured environment. Their recollections have induced many
to frequently self-medicate with drugs and alcohol.
Those
who have served in Canada’s international missions should not be left homeless;
those whom Canada has put in harm’s way should no longer go without a safe,
stable and warm place to call home when they return home.
Visionaries
Jim and Debbie Lowther and several colleagues established Veterans Emergency
Transition Services Canada (VETS Canada) in March 2011 to reach out and help
many of Canada’s veterans who could not successfully make the transition from
their military careers to healthy civilian lives.
“I
was helping at a soup kitchen and I saw the person I was serving was a buddy I
sailed with," Jim Lowther said, describing VETS Canada’s genesis. “That
was enough to tell me we have a serious problem."
From
its home base in Halifax, the all-volunteer, non-profit and non-partisan
corporation began to provide aid and comfort to at-risk Canadian veterans. The
organization has grown into an interprovincial network of volunteers, many of
whom are themselves veterans. Others, serving military and RCMP, work within
their respective communities to find homeless and at-risk veterans.
VETS
Canada’s goal is to ease the challenges of moving these veterans from the
streets or shelters into affordable housing; provide for their health-care
needs; help them access the b enefits and services from other organizations
such as Veterans Affairs Canada and the Royal Canadian Legion; support their
search for suitable employment; and act as a referral service or bridge,
assisting veterans to access appropriate supports and services.
“We
are non-judgmental. If a veteran is homeless or at risk, we will help,"
retired Colonel Marie Leloup says, with unmistakable and unshakable
determination. She is one of a number of VETS Canada volunteers.
“There
are lots of reasons why people end up on the street," VETS Canada
volunteer Barry Yhard explained. “And they aren’t easy to find unless they selfidentify.
We have foot patrols that actively look for potential VETS Canada clients, and
Oak Computing developed a smartphone app so anyone finding a homeless veteran
can instantly send us the person’s location."
Oak
Computing is an Ottawabased software development company that developed the
app for Android devices without charge. Westwood Development has assisted with
o ffice accommodation and Dulux provided paint. Government surplus office
furniture was an obvious bargain.
VETS
Canada is completely dep endent on donations to support its operations and the
volunteers are proud that 90 per cent of their revenue goes directly to
operations. They work with Canadian Legion advocates and Veterans Affairs
Canada case workers.
Field
offices are in Sydney, Fredericton and Kingston, Ont., and new chapters are
beginning in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia . They expect
that within six months there will be a chapter in each province.
Tragically,
operations in conflict regions have left our veterans with tortured memories
that initially cause them to live in tents, couchsurf, live on streets,
condemned trailers, unoccupied buildings (squats) and homeless shelters.
Frequently, they gravitate to the street and are left to seek a little warmth
near a vent or a doorway to have some respite from Canada’s vicious winters.
VETS
Canada volunteers have sometimes spent up to 72 hours in hospital emergency
rooms with at-risk and suicidal veterans.
VETS
CANADA- toll-free phone line, 1-888CAVETS1 (1-888-228-3871) connects to an
emergency call-in centre that serves the country, from the Atlantic to the
Pacific and to the Arctic o ceans.
Lowther
encapsulated the group’s mission: “We are the last stop before the vet ends up
on the street, and we are the first step for them to get off the street."
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#WeAreWinter
“Behind-the-Scenes”Cat: #WEAREWINTER, Tags: #WeAreWinter, Sochi 2014,WeRWinter http://olympic.ca/games/2014-sochi/
… http://olympic.ca/
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