4 Terrace Review: — Wednesday, November 13, 1991 RR SAR ae ee hen ¥ i A WINTER NECESSITY. Like it or not, winter is coming, and if you want to "Be Prepared" you should pick up a few sand bags to throw in the trunk. Thanks to the ist Terrace Scouts, who got plenty of help from parents, Cubs and Beavers, there are more than 2,000 sand bags available, Like the one offered by Terrace Scout Ronnie Bevan above, you'll find these sand bags at most service stations around town. Proceeds go towards equipment and Jamboree travel assistance for the 1st Terrace Scouts. ‘ Cal student to attend Round Table youth forum Alayne Fleischmann, a Grade 12 student at Caledonia Senior Secondary School, will attend the first youth forum mecting convened by the B.C. Round Table on the Environment and the economy in Vancouver next week. The youth forum is an attempt by the Round Table to incorporate the views of young people in B.C. in its deliber- ations on ways of allowing in- dustrial and commercial develop- ment in the province to continue without damaging the environ- ment. . Fleischmann’s participation in the forum is supported by the administration of School District 88. The Round Table has also approached schools through the province to solicit essays from Grade 11 and 12 students on issues the Round Table is pon- dering. Its objective is to recom- mend to the provincial govern- ment ways of applying the "sustainable development” con- cept to a variety of specific policy matters. "Sustainable development" was defined by the United Nations’ Brundtland Commission as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Big Brothers and Sisters celebrate another year Contributed by Terrace Big Brothers and Sisters On Tuesday, Nov. 19 Big Brothers and Sisters of Terrace invites everyone to their annual general meeting, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in our fully-equipped, permanent office at 2-4619 Lakelse Ave. (above Wallinda Crafts). New board members will be elected at this meeting. We will also be hosting an open house and social’ prior to the meeting, from 4:30 to 6:30. The organization is ‘really beginning to grow after years of effort, and we now have four "matches". To address one major concern that may be holding adults in the community back from becoming Big Brothers and Sisters or bringing their children into the program, we would like to clarify in detail the organiza- tion’s policies that help prevent sexual abuse of child clients and protect adult volunteers from false accusations. _ . Big Brothers of Canada was instrumental in the development of - sexual abuse prevention programs, and its programs have been used _as a model for non-profit organi- zations across Canada. There may be some apprehension on the part of mothers considering a Big Brother or Sister for their child. There. may also be a reluc- tance on the part of potential Big Brothers to put themselves at any risk of wrongful accusation. There is a need in our community for men who are willing to step forward and be Big Brothers and not let the element of risk stop them from: volunteering. We hope that people aren’t afraid of coming forward and receiving the personal |}. ° satisfaction of helping a child, We want to alleviate the fear of . mothers, and potential Big Broth- ers and Sisters and our supporters in the community, and assure them that the program is safe and that Dozens cf local foster parents recognized for their contribution Appreciation Night banquet held at the Inn we are diligent in the protection of children. If a person has a desire to help their community by being a signif- icant influence in a child’s life, they shouldn’t let that minimal risk stop them. The sexual abuse prevention pro- gram involves mothers, their chil- dren and the volunteer Big Brother or Sister. The mothers are taught they have the main responsibility to monitor their child’s relationship, what constitutes abuse, how to recog- nize changes in their child's behaviour, and how to question them to insure no inappropriate behaviour is taking place. The children are also taught what abuse is, beginning with concepts as simple as the meaning of the word. From there discussion leads to safety rules. The children know there are rules for things like traf- fic and fire and learn that we have personal safety rules as well. The most important concept the child learns is to trust their own feelings. They are taught they are not obligated to continue any behaviour they do not feel good about, and that if something hap- pens they are not to blame. — Apart from the sexual abuse pre- vention program, which is manda- tory for all potential Big Brothers and Sisters, our screening process is lengthy and involved. A Big Brother or sister must give four references, and submit to a police check of his or her background. The caseworker conducts a bio- graphical review to examine per- sonality, self esteem, how they handle stress, conflict, and person- al relationships. The next step is a home interview to seek out further indicators that could possibly disqualify the vol- unteer, The decision to accept or reject a voluntcer is determined by the matching and screening com- mittee. The committee reviews all the information and makes an assessment regarding the suitabili- ty of the volunteer. Once screening is complete, and before a match is made, a volun- teer must take the sexual abuse prevention training, to learn appropriate behaviour and rules. The parent, volunteer and child are aware that the safety of the child is our main priority. Once a match is made, the case- worker maintains contact with the parent, child and volunteer Big Brother or Sister. In the beginning contact is weekly, then bi-weekly, and after six months contact is monthly for the duration of the relationship. Child abuse is a major social problem. There is an element of risk whenever adults are working with children. Our way of dealing with it is to do all we can to <— RE.M. Lee Hospital Foundation, - 4720 Haugland Ave. Terrace, B.C. V8G 2W7 A thoughtful way to remember is with an In Memoriam gift to the R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation. Donations are gratefully accepted at the above address. Please include — the name of the deceased, your name and address, as well : as the mame and address of the next-of-kin for an acknowledgement card. Income tax receipts are available. as well as a few from Kitimat, Stewart and Cassiar were to the communities they serve at a recent Foster Parent of the West. Above, Ministry of Social Services and Housing district manager Bill Anderson (left) and MSSH workers Marg Corp and Fen Ella (right) make a special presentation to foster children in the Terrace area for the past 24 years. Evelyn and Frank MacDonald, who have cared for ee ae AB Sipe Me