Yorkregion.com - Whitchurch-Stouffville - Cops, teens ‘break down barriers’ in Stouffville
Cops, teens ‘break down barriers’ in Stouffville
Megan Simone (left) of Stouffville was surprised to meet Const. Melanie Moffatt, who was called to her birthday party, as Chad Garel, a teacher at Brother Andre High in Markham, looks on at a York Regional Police forum Wednesday at Latcham Hall.
Whitchurch-Stouffville
May 10, 2008 11:49 PM
Officer called to party re-unites with host, 17
By: Alyshia Higgins
It was a reunion of sorts at the annual police youth forum in Stouffville Wednesday.
Megan Simone, 17, and York Regional Police Const. Melanie Moffatt, were seated at the same table during the event and realized it wasn’t the first time they had met.
“I had a birthday party and the police were called and you were there.” Ms Simone said after introductions were made.
The type of reunion was a common occurrence at the forum at Latcham Hall.
Jevon Crooks-Khan, a Grade 11 student from Markham, has attended the forum three times and each time sees familiar faces among the attending officers.
“It’s a great experience to talk to the officers and have a good time,” he said. “I have a good connection with the officers because I see them around school, too.”
The forum is run in conjunction with National Youth Week, May 5 to 10.
Const. Todd Snooks is the youth co-ordinator for District 5, which covers Markham and Stouffville.
“We try to break barriers and build bridges between the youth and police,” the former Stouffville residentsand. “We get a good perspective from the kids. It really allows youth to have a real understanding that police are human too.”
Approximately 55 students from 11 schools attended the seminar.
They were put into mixed groups where they shared stories and discussed issues including opening lines of communication, protecting criminals and racial profiling.
Officers dressed in street clothing were seated among the students at each table and both groups shared their perspectives on similar situation.
“We want to uncover some of the myths youths have with officers,” said Sam Cuda, a counselor at Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy in Markham and co-organizer of the event.
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” he added.
For the rookie and veteran attendees of the forum, the effect can be long-lasting.
“I think I have a good way of talking to them,” Mr. Cooks-Khan said.
“Before this, I thought (police) were ignorant and thought they didn’t care about teens’ perspective,” Ms Simone said. “I think I see them as more as people now. I think I’ll be able to talk to them easier, too.”
The forums have been hold across the region since the late 1980s.