The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 21, 2000 - B1 INSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 ‘SPEAKING OUT - SARAH de LEEUW Summer of our discontent HE longest day of the year ... per- haps not exactly in syne with the holtest or sunniest days of the year, but one need look no further than the magazine racks in the local grocery stores to know summer is here. Covers of every second magazine (well all right, excluding The Star, The- Inquirer and Martha Stewart), are boast- ing the busty bedies of babes in bikinis. These are women. who live in lands free of tummy rolls, wide hips or thick thighs, They smile the smiles of those who’ve never worried about double chins or cel- - lulite. And each of us who shuffle through the grocery store line-up, tired and maybe a little cranky, wonder just what's the matter with us — us who have, well, you know ... bodies the photographers scem to have forgetten about when they photograph for the front covers of those magazines. A close friend of mine worked in the retail business down south ~ a clothes store dealing in upscale lines and “slim fils”. She would call me on the week- ends, yakking about this that and the other, inevitably getting around to work. Come the season of beach balls and bi- kinis, she always regales me with tales of women, all shapes and sizes, squcez- ing themselves into shape-disterting out- fits, then complaining about their badics. More often than not, she informed me, the upset would culminate in a sideways- over-the-shoulder-lookin g-at-the- mirror wail of: “This makes me look soooaco fat!” While most of us don't blink an eye on hearing the cry, the words are landing in more ways than we can imagine. Not so long ago, I visited with the daughters of close family friends. The oldest was 12, the youngest four. The middle one, the one sitting next to me on the couch telling me about art projects at school, was six. After we discovered the basics of popsicle stick houses, we went on to her friends. She mentioned a couple of other little people, then announced that | she was the fattest of all of them, and wanted to go on a diet. Six years old; and already worrying about being fat. Six years old, not even past the round cheeks and chubby toes of her baby-fat years, and wanting to go on a diet. ] was talking to the local nutritionist not so long ago, who told me the youngest person she'd heard of practising self-induced vomiting was three years old. She's worked with five-year-olds who have caloric charts and exercise routines mapped out to follow every day of the week. The numbers regarding eating disor- ders, which stem from unrealistic views of haw bodies should be shaped, are staggering. A 1995 study found that one out of every four college-aged women in North America has experienced an eat- ing disorder. Another study, one year later, found that three minutes of looking at models in a fashion magazine caused 70 per cent of the. women who did it ta fee] depressed, guilty, and shameful about their own bodies. , “These are women who live in lands free of tummy rolls." So who's profiting fram the preoccu- pation with thinness? The diet industry in the United States generates 74 billion dollars a year, and in Canada more than 50 per cent of our population is irying ta lose weight at any given time. Obviously, you are not alone when going through the grocery stand check- out makes you feel rotten, like you really should go home and do something about yourself, But instead of feeling depressed and down, you mighit (ry thinking about all your positive attributes, all the people you’ve made smile in your day, and then grab a magazine about the environment, or how ta cook a great meal. Try going for a walk and doing something just for yourself. Te And remember, there are three billion: women who don’t look like supermodels, and only eight women who do, Students focus through apprenti By SARAH GLEN SECTION B ALEX HAMILTON . 638-7283 7 n future ceships FRANCE IS a long way from home for one Southers resident. But that’s exactly where Lyle Kennedy ended up after camplet- ing a culinary apprenticeship in Smithers. The northern resident is also a member of the Canadian Culinary Olympic team, competing inter- * nationally for the top chef spot in the world. All this because Kennedy opted to apprentice under a cook in Smithers as-a way to make ° money while completing high school. His success is typical of stu- dent apprentices, said John Dodd, an apprenticeship counsellor with the Industry Training and Appren- ticeship Cammission (ITAC) in Terrace. “Kids that get involved in ap- prenticeship programs while in high school are all of a sudden doing better in their classes be- cause they have a purpose to their | work,” said Dodd. “It’s a real suc- cess story.” ITAC and Caledonia Senior Secondary School’s job counsel- lor, Cam MacKay, have teamed up to offer students in Terrace an early apprenticeship program and the opportunity to lap into their own “success stories.” The partnership has been in JAMIE BIRCH, a graduate from Caledonia Sr, Secondary apprentice program bonds a joint in the place for about five years, but is plumbing of a local house. Birch is a plumbing apprentice who is working in town over the summer. one of Terrace’s best kept secrets, said Dodd. “People don’t give our youth enough credit,” said MacKay. “A lol of kids learn in different ways and this program gives them, hands-on training thal will give them focus for the future.” Students are eligible for the program after they complete Grade 10. Then they must apply and be accepled by a steering committee before getting hired by a business. “We are not an employment agency. The onus is one the stu- dent to get out in the community and find their own job,” said Dodd. Trades suitable for apprentice- ships include: embalmer, hair dresser, plumber, focksmith, auto service technician, electrician, Most of the apprentices make upwards of $26 an hour, including - benefits, said Dodd. And while they may be getting a jump on their future, students in the: program must still attend school and maintzin at least a C plus average. “We siress the connection be- «tween work and school. You can’t treat your work like a drop-in centre, so why would you treat school like that?” said MacKay. After graduating from high school, the students splice school and work together. Most work for a minimum of -six months, then are sent to school for any where from three to 10 weeks The schooling is covered by the provincial government as part of an initiative to boost B.C’s skilled work forée, said Dodd. The school/work cycle conti- nues for an average of four ycars, until the apprentice is ceititied. “You have kids who are mas- lers al their craft at 21 years old and who are able to practice their craft aimost anywhere in the world. The possibilities are endless,” said Dodd. Caledonia Senior Secondary has three apprentices graduating this year. “There is no reason why we shouldn’t have at least 10 kids graduating with these skills,” said MacKay. He notes that Terrace is a tra- des-oricntated community, with more than [80 apprenticible trades open to students. Jamic Birch is just one student who took advantage of the ap- prenticeship program, Birch graduated from Caledo- nia Sentor Secondary and the early plumbing apprenticeship program, in 1998, “Trades are the way to go,” said Birch. “With the carly ap- prenticeship program, my future was started earlier.” Birch will be a certified jour- neyman when he is 2! years old. After he gets his ticket, he plans to travel the world. With the work experience he gained through high school, Birch had a year’s head start both on his plumbing career and other uppren- tices who didn’t take a similar program in secondary school. “When | graduated, i had over 1,000 hours of experience. That put me way whead of the game,” said Birch. and carpenter. Mi Taking the pledge E-Team leaders practice a scene from Thornhilt Elementary School’s upcoming concert, Assignment Earth: How Kids Can Save the Planet", a musical revue featuring songs sung by Grade 4, 5, and 6 students and dialogue from these 12 young actors, seen here with music specialist Anne Hill and vice principal Around Town Sue Springer. The performance takes place June. 28 at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre at 7 p.m. You're invited to attend, , a Day camp with drama YOUNG ACTORS take note: the Terrace Little Theatre is gearing up for summer drama days, Now entering its 15th year, this popular series of summer day camps for children aged six to 12 tea- ches participants basic acting and technical skills. The three-week-long camps culminate in a public performance. This year, four coordinators have been hired to run the program, which offers 2 se- lection of theatre skills, including music, muke-up, backstage work, lighting and sound. Registration is limited to 20 participants per ses- sion. For more information, leave a message at | 638-1215. Registration forms are available at Uni- globe Travel, Spiritual expressions SPIRIT JOURNEY.,.Expressions By Women is the name of a multimedia art collaboration slated for exhibit at the Terrace Art Gallery next year in March. A group of local women artists and the Ter- race Women’s Resuurce Centre have already begun planning the show, and now they’re making a call for submissions. The theme explores how spirit is integrated into our lives, both in times of celebration and in times of pain. The organizers invite local female artists to submil works thal symbolically express the rela- lionship between our inner journey and our every- day lives, The show will have two sections. The Upper gall- ery display will feature a collection of pieces con- tributed by women who work independently from the community. a The lower gallery will feature work resulliee from a series of four healing art workshops that will be facilitated before the: show's opening. No arlis- tic ability will be required for this work. At the mo- ment, organizers are applying for funding to cover cosis of materials. , For more information please contact Joan Con- Way al 635-6753 or Deirdre McEwan by telephone at 635-7982 or by email al dc.mcewan@telus.net