Youth invincibility a myth worth rocking By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF 3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, March 13, 2009 Halton police are looking for the public's help in shattering the myth of self-invincibility that is prevalent among young people through the introduction of a safety program called SMARTRISK. The program, which police hope to show to 22,000 high school students in Oakville, Burlington and Milton, is intended to demonstrate the consequences of risky behaviour. "We're in the public safety business and we've been exposed to a program that we think has value," said Superintendent Signy Pittman, Halton police. "This program works through positive messaging and there might be some key to that. They're not saying. `Don't do this, don't do this.' They're saying when you do this, take these precautions (e.g. wear a helmet when riding an ATV)." Constable Maureen Andrew, who brought the program to the Halton Hills community in May of 2008, noted that SMARTRISK reaches young people because rather than rely on adult speakers or actors to convey its message, it confronts the audience with a young person like themselves who has been in a terrible accident. "One of the presenters was 19 and he made a huge impact in Georgetown last year. Sean was 16 when the incident happened. He lived in a small town in Northern Ontario and the train tracks were between his home and the school," said Andrew. "He and a group of friends were rushing home because there was a party after school and they didn't want to be late. To save time they were hopping over a (slow moving) train. His friends ahead of him made it safely, but Sean's backpack got caught on the side of the train and he went under the wheels. He was almost cut in half. He lost an arm and a leg." As if the tale were not cautionary enough, even the way the speaker is introduced to the audience is designed for maximum impact. Andrew noted that prior to the show in Georgetown, Sean was hanging out with the local kids at the school with his injuries largely concealed as he was wearing jeans and a shirt. When the show began, the auditorium went dark and a single light focused on Sean, only at this point he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt allowing the students to see that he only has one arm and one leg. "From there on in, they (the students) were captivated," said Andrew. "They had an opportunity to talk with him and ask him about changes in his life. They asked about his friends and if they were still friends and he said, `Unfortunately, `I'm dealing with it a lot better than they are, maybe one day we'll be friends again.'" Another presenter in Georgetown spoke about the injuries he received during a party DAVID LEA / OAKVILLE BEAVER BRINGING SMARTRISK TO SCHOOLS: Superintendent Signy Pittman and Constable Maureen Andrew promote SMARTRISK, a unique safety program the two are hoping to bring to 22,000 high school students in Oakville, Burlington and Milton. "We are getting some great support," said Pittman. "We have received some help from the school boards because they are engaged as far as wanting to deliver this to the youth." A local rotary club, Hydro-One and the Halton Regional Safety Council are just a few of the other supporters that have chipped into the program. If sufficient funds are raised by the end of the month, the plan is for SMARTRISK to host multiple presentations from April 27May 15. "It's a form of education, and when you can expose more people to a form of education we're suggesting that you're going to get more people talking," said Pittman. "I think when we're talking about issues there is a greater opportunity to solve some of those issues." There is no shortage of urgency to do this. SMARTRISK notes that in Ontario during the 2005/2006 fiscal year there were a total of 264,095 emergency department visits and 8,207 hospitalizations among youth 15-24 years of age. For more information about the SMARTRISK program or to donate, please contact Constable Andrew at 905-825-4747, ext. 2109 or contact Superintendent Pittman at 905825-4747, ext. 2400. when he attempted to jump into a swimming pool from the roof of his house. That experience left him a quadriplegic. Andrew also noted the presentations are tailored to the issues present in each commuRETAIL & WHOLESALE LIGHTING nity. In the Halton Hills area, Sean was chosen to speak because there are more train tracks there than most communities. For Oakville, Milton and Burlington, some of the presenters will most likely focus on the consequences of impaired driving. "That's not to suggest that we have a lot of youth that are driving impaired," said Pittman. "Quite frankly, we are seeing a cross-section of our community demographic arrested for impaired driving. We're hopeful that SMARTRISK will be able to provide us with a life hero (presenter) who is a survivor of some tragedy related to drug or alcohol abuse." While presentations are a main part of the program, another portion involves intense multimedia activities, which eduSee Store for Details. cate young people on how to safely do things EXAMPLE like boating, biking and skiing. All of this takes place as the latest popular Lighting Purchase Ontario Tax Credit Store Rebate music is pumped into the auditorium. $ .50 - $ .50 PURCHASE - $ Thanks to each of these components, =$ SMARTRISK proved to be a great success in YOUR SAVINGS = $675 Halton Hills with some students watching the presentations multiple times. 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