Several Vancouver Island youth have spent the summer learning about teamwork, trust and togetherness through First Nations traditions, thanks to provincial civil forfeiture proceeds and some dedicated adults.

There is an old saying about challenges in life: the longest journey starts with a single pull. A group of Saanich youth and their adult mentors now know first-hand the power of that first pull.

Saanich Sports Association received an $18,985 civil forfeiture grant for their Island Spirit Program to facilitate a nine-day canoe and camping trip. The funding also allowed organizers to buy an eight-metre long synthetic-fibre canoe that can seat 12 people.

This summer, six adult mentors and about a dozen young participants set off in two canoes from Chehalis, a small community on the Lower Mainland. They paddled for more than a week to reach Harrison Hot Springs. This journey was unlike any they had ever taken before. They arrived exhausted and overjoyed, powered only by their perseverance and commitment to one another.

Although not all participants are Aboriginal, the program is deeply rooted in First Nations culture and tradition. They learned about the significance of the canoe and the importance of leaving ill feelings behind when taking that first pull. This allows a clear mind on the water. The paddlers discovered that when people travel together by canoe they become a family. Everyone in that family becomes one with the canoe and the water that supports it. Those bonds don’t end when the journey is over, either. Once a canoe family, always a canoe family.

Although the big paddle is over, participants and mentors continue to meet for smaller paddles, hikes or just to spend time together. The synthetic-fibre canoe is the closest modern-day equivalent of a traditional birch bark canoe. But the lightweight materials make it easier to carry on land and easier to push through the water. Its durability will ensure the canoe will make similar journeys for years to come. Paddlers are already looking forward to next year’s adventure and to welcoming new members to their growing canoe family.

Since it was established a decade ago, B.C’s civil forfeiture program has returned $27 million to crime prevention and community safety programs and helping victims. It targets the proceeds of unlawful activity and distributes the proceeds to projects in areas such as youth crime prevention, restorative justice and domestic violence. This year’s grants represent the largest-ever one-time grants investment in community crime prevention in B.C., with $7.2million from civil and criminal forfeiture proceeds awarded to more than 250 recipients.

Quotes:

Mike Morris, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General –

“This program embodies what civil forfeiture grants are all about – taking away the tools and proceeds of crime and putting them back into meaningful projects that make a difference in a young person’s life. This year, the Province dedicated nearly $2 million in civil forfeiture grants to dozens of gang and youth crime prevention projects to help steer young people away from potential involvement in a life of crime. Saanich Sports Association’s Island Spirit Program pulled young people away from their TVs and video games, while showing them the beauty right here in British Columbia and emphasizing the importance of First Nations culture and the significant role of the canoe.”

Pamela Falconer, constable, Saanich RCMP –

“This trip taught us we are a family. We want to keep our family bond strong so that this will be passed from our youth to their children. I find the trip strengthens the bond. It is long and the pulls are hard and we all get tired and cranky, like anyone would. By sitting in a circle and checking in, we learn we can communicate without yelling. We learn we can receive a message of anger or disappointment without becoming angry ourselves or holding a grudge. This is our second year and it seems to be working. Our youth are becoming strong communicators and no longer hold back!”

Scott Dempsey, volunteer with the Island Spirit Program and programs coordinator at Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre –

“This has been the journey of a lifetime that I will cherish as long as I live. It was a humbling experience that has taught me patience and understanding.”

Quick Facts:

• The word canoe originates from “kenu” - meaning dugout.
• The first known canoes were made by hollowing out a single tree.
• North American Aboriginal people are responsible for creating more modern versions of the canoe - a frame of wooden ribs covered with the bark of birch, elm or trees.

Learn More:

Violence Free BC strategy: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/victimservices/shareddocs/pubs/violence-free-bc.pdf

To view the complete list of B.C. civil forfeiture grant recipients: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/crime-prevention/community-crime-prevention/grants

The history of the canoe: www.canoe.ca