FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 21, 2011
Official report from youth forum on Vancouver Riot offers recommendations to City
VANCOUVER, BC – Young people from all over Greater Vancouver gathered at a “for youth, by youth” forum hosted by the Vancouver District Students’ Council on July 9th at the Central Library. In partnership with the Vancouver Public Library, Vancouver School Board, and City of Vancouver, diverse youth offered their opinions and suggestions to forum facilitators as well as City officials.
These recommendations were precisely documented and compiled into a report, released on the VDSC website:
http://vdsc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/VDSC-Lets-Talk-About-It-Official-Report-pdf.pdf
Participants stressed the importance of appropriate societal action toward rioters, youth involvement, public safety, communication, and restorative justice among other issues.
While many expressed the initial feeling of disappointment at the riots, the mutual principle of wanting to “prove, not improve” their City was common throughout the forum. The discussions featured a varied group of youth who recognized the causes behind the rioting to be more than just a hockey game.
The Vancouver District Students’ Council is a committee of student representatives from all secondary and alternative schools within Vancouver. The VDSC’s mandate is to provide student input in the planning and decision making of the District, and often collaborates with the community, professionals, and organizations in youth-related activities and initiatives.
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Leah Bae
President | Vancouver District Students’ Council
emailvdsc@gmail.com