Sunshine Coast School District

Youth Violence

RESPONDING TO YOUTH VIOLENCE OCTOBER 2010

In the wake of the highly publicized events concerning the alleged drugging and gang-rape of a 16 year old Pitt Meadows teen, followed by the recent death of a 15 year old Delta teen, we wish to offer information regarding current initiatives that can support parents, schools and communities in responding to issues related to gender, sexual harassment, body image, stereotyping, and relationships.

Several open letters for parents and adults working with youth have been created by violence prevention specialists. The first letter (see email attachment), written by Kaycee Jane, parent and author of Frog or Prince: The Smart Girl’s Guide to Boyfriends, offers information to promote critical discussions with teens, along with simple clear rules to nurture safe and mutually respectful relationships. A second letter, written by Lynn Glazier, director and producer of It’s a Teen’s World: wired for sex, lies and power-trips, delves into the hyper-sexualized social world of teens to uncover complexities that effect the behaviours and choices teens make. These letters can be reproduced as needed.

Schools will also find newly developed educational resources based on Glazier’s DVD through www.itsateensworld.com that use dramatic films in a series of standalone educational modules to promote student discussion about sexual pressures and strategies to combat them. Purchase information is available on the website. Interactive quizzes for youth and numerous additional resources regarding social and media literacy are also located on this site.

To learn more about current trends in youth violence, you can find a link on our website, available soon, to a recent interview with the Centre’s Research Director at the University of the Fraser Valley, Dr. Irwin Cohen, that occurred on the Christie Clark show.

Finally, we wish to highlight Media Awareness Network (MNet) and the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) who have chosen Gender and Media as the theme for Canada’s 5th Media Literacy Week – November 1-5, 2010 (see email attachment) Through this initiative, teachers, parents, and professionals working with young people are encouraged to explore together issues related to gender representation in the media – body image, stereotyping, sexualisation, roles and relationships. Resources to support this can be found on their website.

CBC Radio Broadcast of Wired for Sex, Lies and Power Trips: IT’S A TEEN’S WORLD

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