Victoria, BC – Well over 80 middle and high school students will join 17 teachers and 10 police officers at this year’s Youth for Change and Inclusion (YCI). The camp, which takes place at Camp Pringle on the shores of Shawnigan Lake from May 2nd through May 5th will introduce youth from Victoria, Saanich, Vancouver, Ladysmith and Nanaimo to local, national and global issues. This year marks the 15th year that YCI has taken place with well over 1100 youth having attended the camp over the past 14 years.
Sgt Brookes started YCI in September of 2003 at Camp Columbia on Thetis Island with the help of a Saanich Police Officer and two Victoria Police Officers. Over the years, camps have been run with the financial support of the Victoria Police Department, Coast Capital Savings and Victoria School District 61. Many of the schools have paid for partial teacher release costs and the police departments have supported YCI by allowing their employees to attend on work time. Many volunteers attend on their own time.
This year’s speakers include residential schools survivor Anne Tenning, Plastic Bank CEO David Katz, Tom Szekly speaking about the holocaust, Moussa Magassa speaking about social transformation and peacebuilding, Community Development manager with the Stigma Free Society Robyn Thomas and various other presenters.
“YCI is about youth getting together for positive change in our communities,” VicPD Sgt. and YCI founder Paul Brookes said. “Over the past 14 years, this camp has helped youth come together with experts from around the world who have spoken with them about the issues that face us all.”
VicPD spokesperson Cst. Matt Rutherford will be attending YCI this year and sharing his experiences through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using the #YCI2018 hashtag. Media are also invited to attend portions of the camp.
For more information on YCI visit: www.ycicanada.org.
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