KUSHIRO CUP WINNER STILL GOING STRONG
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FEDERAL BUDGET CHANGES LITTLE
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BUS ATTACKER WON’T GO TO JAIL
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FRIDAY
APRIL 6 2012
www.burnabynewsleader.com
A local man is seeking co-conspirators for some spontaneous public performances. See Page A4
Julian debates budget for 13 hours Reads tweets, emails of citizens in House Wanda Chow wchow@newwestnewsleader.com
MARIO BARTEL/NEWSLEADER
Peter van den Hoogen is using his rescue dog, Max, to help refugee students open up about their experiences, as part of a Burnaby school district pilot program.
Easing a child’s stress and trauma District program becoming a model for other districts Wanda Chow wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
A group of boys from Burnaby high schools is asked to choose a photo that resonates with them from the pile spread on the table. One teen chooses an image of a beach with the word “love” drawn in the sand. When asked why, he says, “It’s the last time I remember seeing my mother alive.” It’s these hints of trauma and stress
that a Burnaby school district program aims to elicit, as social workers and district staff try to ensure local immigrant and refugee kids get the help they need. Dubbed “Body Worlds and the Brain,” the program was developed two years ago by B.C. Children’s Hospital psychologist Dr. Sarina Kot, who specializes in trauma. The Burnaby program has since become a model for other school districts which are trying to emulate it. The program is still in its early stages, said Peter van den Hoogen, the district’s coordinator of student
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intervention and support services. So far, the eight-week program has run twice, and has been aimed at immigrant and refugee boys in grades 8 to 12. Participants are selected from among such students who exhibit behavioural problems and are having trouble at school. It tries to address the entire range of issues from settlement stress—such as having English as a second language, separation from extended family and family stress—to trauma, including war, refugee camps, violence and death of a family member before arriving in Canada.
The challenge is that most kids won’t agree to counselling due to the stigma involved, said van den Hoogen, lead facilitator for the program. The program tries to teach participants in an indirect way that it’s OK to talk about their fears. “Counselling through the back door is what we call it.” Sessions are usually at the Burnaby Youth Hub, a non-school location that offers a youth drop-in and other services. The boys are given lessons in martial arts to boost con¿dence and teach discipline and self control. Please see STUDENTS LEARN, A5
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It wasn’t quite a ¿libuster on par with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but when it was all over, Burnaby-New Westminster MP Peter Julian was winning praise on the Twittersphere for giving ordinary Canadians a voice in Parliament. For 13 hours over two-and-a-half days starting March 30, the New Democrat MP spoke during the budget debate-inprinciple. The rule is that either the leader of the of¿cial Opposition or the Opposition’s ¿nance critic—in this case, Julian—is allowed unlimited time to respond to the government’s budget. Julian’s speech comprised in large part of citizens’ tweets, emails and Facebook posts expressing concerns about the budget. “That was really the point to be able to say directly to government, here’s what Canadians are saying.” Please see ‘IT WAS’, A3