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12-The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, February 5, 2002 -CN proposai tO be probed'at hearing Anti-bully * fromx STIU.. NO on page 1 The, m gru basao approachedl b"i Halton mVgonal cm"ci and MIton town council for support on But*s flicas no a~plition a they may asse following a review of teclinical inforation contained within the application. "WC continue down here ai the Reion and the Town to prepare.. Haiton's dimetor of legal services, adding a terni of consultants r reviewing lte informauion ini CN'. org"na prpoa- delivecd pub- ticly Febrnwy 19, 2001. Tise Town, Reg"and WN havec caci pledged $10,00 forw itlrI- cal expertiselste&d tl eview CN's application. Once an application is filed. involved parties have 120 days to review and respossd to CN's propo«al before a hearing is beld at the CI'A office in Ottawa. The Town, Region aid RAIL bave al mested party sia"u in tlie appli- cation revscw process - requcate «"re doing as mucli reseasti as we casn i peperation of dia(appli. cation filing). Onc it's bren filed that's not thse time tb do it. I'n sur ter'l be piles and piles of stuff lo go tiotig (in thse application)," said Ms Post. A solicitor wiU also be needed to represent RAIL dwing the review heuring - somnetNg tbc group estimates wiil cost ils 150 plus membets between $30.000 and $50,000 Tbough no specific activi- decs are planned just yet, RAIL intends to conduct a series of fussdraising events for the cause. HOME SHOW FEB. 6 - 10 Get your homework started by seeing the Iatest and greatest home improvement products & services. Presented by Regional Shows mnc. There's No Place Like Home. friendly &-familiar Escarpment Country-' Tourism Partncr Shopping Hours: Mon. to Fri. 9:30 arn. - 9:00 p.m. Saturday 9:30 arn. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday Noon to 5:00 p.m. Corner of Main & Ontario 905-878-3900 program promotes respect By DORA ZHANG Special ta The Champion Last spiing, afler requests from numer- ous teachers for an anti-bullying, anti- harassment program, the Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services of Halton came up with 'A Matter of Respect'. Designed to raise awareness around issues of harassment aid bullying, and teach students their nights and responsibili- ties as weiI as self-respect aid respect for others, the programi was piloted in the Halton Catholie District Sehool Board in April, 2000. "We sent flyers to aIl thse elementary schools and the responses were over- whelming," said Lynda Levins, education co-ordinator for the intervention service. "There are 107 elementary schools and 23 high schools in Halton, and we sec our- selves as thse link between schools and the appropriate services within our communi- ty," Ms Levins says. The initial focus of the program has heen on grade 7s and grade 8s. "Teachers frît that the kids sbould have this information prior to entering grade 9." said Ms Levins. "By thse time a youngster is ini (grade) 5 or 6, they have developed major personality traits, ha they good or bad. Even grade 7 or grade 8 are in some cases too late." The classroom programn kicks off with a discussion about community values aid individual rights aid allows students to have a fraik aid open discussion. "We ask the students if tbey have ever harassed or bullied aiyone," Ms Levins rxplainrd. "Most haids go up eventually, including the presenters. The students are asked to identify the areas of violence in society -physical. sexual, verbal etc. - aid are encouraged to go into specifics." They also discuss being on the receiving end of bullying, something moat students bave experienced. At the end of the presen- tation thse class is asked to come up with a slogan or a monto to put up on tise board as a daily reminder of bow their behaviour affects others. "Our purpose," Ms Levins says, "is not to go into the schools in a punitive mariner, but to educate (the students), let them know which behaviours could get themn in bot water with tic law, scisool, humai rights etc. in the hopes that they wiIl think twice before tbey open their moutbs aid cal someone a name." The goals of the project are not just to raise awareness on issues like bullying, but also to teacb students to recognize oppres- sive bebaviours and Uic root causes of vio- lence in society, to create a Iras violent community and to informi themn of Uic sup- port processes that arr available. Ms Levins saîd she feels strongly that 'A Matter of Respect' aid programs like it cani bave a long-trm effeci. 'Wr tracb that everyone bas a rîghî to b. safe, free from harassing or oppressive behavinurs, and we stress that tbey have rights, as does everyone, aid along wîth those rights cornes a certain accountahiliîy for one*s actions aid inactions," she said. "It's vital because Uic things kids leam today will carry Uiemn Uirough tise rrst of their lives." -r