Return to View the Journals     Lobstick:  An Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Thought, Social Commentary, Scholarly Research and Debate, Volume 5:  Safe is a Big Word       CONTRIBUTORS AND PARTICIPANTS   Danisha Bhaloo and Irfan Chaudry Youth Restorative Action Project (YRAP) began in response to the concerns of a group of youth in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that young people were not properly equipped to act as advocates for their rights, especially in the criminal justice, child welfare, education and employment systems. In addition, they were interested in finding a way to resolve social issues which could cause or complicate these systemic problems. Their vision was to form a program accessible to all youth to allow access to educational programs to promote advocacy, and a support network that would aid in resolving social challenges. In this spirit, YRAP was formed as a Youth Justice Committee, in order to reach young people at a time when these issues held greatest importance, in court, and provide the support and mentorship necessary to address their situation.   Dr. David Cook David Cook was educated in England and then joined the University of Alberta Department of Pharmacology, where he was Chair between 1980 and 1991. He is currently the Director of the Division of Studies in Medical Education at the University of Alberta. He has received a number of teaching awards at both local and national levels including the 3M teaching fellowship, Canada’s highest award for post-secondary instruction. Dr. Cook has given many invited presentations on pharmacology and on education in Canada and the United States and in fourteen other countries. He has provided training in the pharmacology of drugs of abuse for professionals and for the general public for more than twenty years.   Dr. Ron Clavier Over the past 30 years, Dr. Ron Clavier has researched and written extensively on the brain mechanisms of emotional disturbances. He has practiced counselling and psychotherapy since 1982 and specialized in adolescent psychotherapy and addictions. His book Teen Brain, Teen Mind (2005) helps parents understand their kids’ behaviour in terms of brain changes that occur during adolescence. It offers many coping strategies to improve family life during the teen years. Ron and his wife Lita live in Toronto. Ron is also an active artist whose work reflects his belief in the unity of human anatomy and human psyche with the colours and forces of nature.   Renée Delorme Renée Delorme has over 20 years of experience working with the not for profit sector and the federal government. Her areas of expertise include the management of not for profit organizations, development of special initiatives involving the community at all levels of governments and the management of funding programs. Renée currently works for the National Crime Prevention Centre based in Calgary.   Jim Diers Jim Diers has a passion for participatory democracy. Since moving to Seattle in 1976, he put that passion to work for an Alinsky-style community organization, a community development corporation, a community foundation, and Group Health Cooperative. He was appointed the first director of Seattle’s Department of Neighbourhoods in 1988 where he served fewer than three mayors over the next 14 years. Currently, Jim works for the University of Washington where he teaches courses in community organizing and development and connects university resources with community initiatives. Jim received a BA and an honorary doctorate from Grinnell College. His work in the Department of Neighbourhoods was recognized with an Innovations Award from the Kennedy School of Government, a Full Inclusion Award from the American Association on Mental Retardation, and the Public Employee of the Year Award from the Municipal League of King County. Jim’s book, Neighbour Power: Building Community the Seattle Way (2004), is avail-able through the University of Washington Press. More information can be found on Jim’s website: www.neighborpower.org   Scott Hagarty Scott has been a member of the RCMP for the past 15 years, all of which were served in Alberta. He has worked in a variety of setting (City, Rural, Enhanced Policing for the County of Grande Prairie), and is presently part of the Crime Prevention team in Grande Prairie.     Heather King Heather's involvement with prevention of family violence began in 1981 with a summer job she took while pursuing an education degree. The job lasted seven years and gave Heather the opportunity to provide front line support for victims and their children, deliver a public education and awareness program, and serve as the Director of the Shelter. She began working for Alberta Social Services (now Child and Family Services) in 1989 where she was able to advocate within Government for family violence victims. Her work took her from management of regional con-tracts for women's shelters into contract management for other program areas. In 2005 Heather accepted her current position as Regional Manager of Prevention of Family Violence & Bullying for Northwest Alberta Child and Family Services Authority, bringing her back into the program area she remains most committed to. Heather is optimistic that the legacy of family violence can be changed if we all work together to make it happen.   Craig Krieger Craig is one of a handful of people currently in Edmonton who was actually born there. Craig obtained his Law Degree from the University of Alberta in 1985, and has worked with the Alberta Department of Justice ever since (21years). He has prosecuted everything from traffic tickets to first-degree murder. He has always had an interest in using the power of computers to help prosecute criminal cases. In fact, Craig was the first lawyer in Edmonton to take his own computer to court, even before the government started providing computers to prosecutors. Craig started as a full time Internet Crime Prosecutor in September 2006, but had already successfully prosecuted several cybercrime cases before then.   Donelda Laing Donelda is currently the Manager of Family & Community Support Services (FCSS) for the City of Grande Prairie. As part of her work, she works with homeless projects and produces a tri-annual Poverty Report. Donelda has worked in the social service field for over 20 years with non-profit agencies. She is a Muttart Fellow and has researched and trained in compassion fatigue and resilience.     Sgt. Jim Laing Sergeant Jim Laing joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1978. After graduating from the RCMP Training Academy in Regina, Sgt. Laing was stationed in four Alberta communities: Brooks, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge and Calgary. Sgt. Laing has worked in a variety of uniform and plain clothes duties, including: rural and municipal detachment, highway patrol, community policing/victim services coordinator, one-year education assignment, customs and excise investigations, drug investigations, G8 summit security planning team, commercial crime section (federal) and currently serves as the RCMP North West Region Counterfeit Coordinator. Sgt. Laing completed a Bachelor of Arts (With Great Distinction) at the University of Lethbridge in 2000 and a Master of Education at the University of Lethbridge in 2005.   Christine Leonard Christine has a bachelors and a master’s degree in Criminology. With her passion for social justice, she worked with the John Howard Society of Alberta and the Alberta Community Council on HIV before starting her consulting business. She has been researching, writing and presenting on crime prevention through social development (CPSD) for 14 years, and served on the board of the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association, where she was further able to spread the message about CPSD.   Mike Lickers Michael Lickers is a well-known Mohawk educator. Executive Director and Founder of the Ghost River Rediscovery program, Michael has over 20 years of experience in outdoor education, leadership development and is a senior instructor for the Rediscovery International Guide Training and Wilderness Skills Guide Training. With a background in the military, Michael’s work with youth has included addictions counselling, corrections, treatment foster care, court work, outdoor program development and community youth work. Michael brings a unique combination of rigorous professionalism, wide program development and leader-ship experience and grounding in traditional cultural teachings.   JoAnn McCartney JoAnn is a retired police detective who has been involved in prostitution investigation and intervention for 18 years. She is well known for working with individuals engaging in prostitution and supporting them to make changes while successfully bringing their abusers to justice. JoAnn helped create and coordinate successful diversion programs in Edmonton, assisting numerous individuals to leave behind their addictions and street involvement. She has presented extensively about prostitution to police, criminal justice personnel, social agencies, students, community agencies and others affected by this issue.   Andrew Nikiforuk For the last two decades Andrew Nikiforuk has written about energy, economics and the west for a variety of Canadian publications including Walrus, Maclean's, Canadian Business, Report on Business, Chatelaine, Georgia Straight, Equinox and Harrowsmith. Last year he completed a major series on peak oil for CBC Radio as well as a lengthy investigation on coal bed methane for Report on Business Magazine and Canadian Business magazine. Nikiforuk’s journalism has won seven National Magazine Awards since 1989 and top honors for investigative writing from the Association of Canadian Journalists. His dramatic Alberta-based book, Saboteurs: Wiebo Ludwig’s War Against Big Oil won the Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction in 2002. His latest book, Pandemonium (2007), examines the impact of global trade on disease exchanges and has received widespread national acclaim. Whether speaking or writing about melting glaciers, educational shams, peak oil, or the destruction of the boreal forest, Nikiforuk has earned a reputation as an honest and provocative voice in Canadian journalism.   Linda Nosbush Linda Nosbush (B.Ed., Dip.Ed., M.A., Ph.D. candidate) is the Social Development Manager for the City of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. She is an educator, community researcher, lecturer, and Fellow with the National Council for Early Child Development. Her last major research initiative was “Understanding the Early Years Prince Albert”. She acknowledges the support of National Crime Prevention for this work and the Prince Albert Youth Outreach Program, Inc. She can be contacted at lnosbush@citypa.com.     Dwayne Peace Dwayne Peace is a retired 25–year member of the Calgary Police Service. He spent the last seven years of his service as a School Resource Officer (SRO), and is now a Life Skills facilitator with the Dare to Care Program. Dwayne has a special talent for working with youth, and a passion for helping to make a difference in their lives.   Raymond Rocke Raymond Rocke was appointed Analyst at the Bank’s Regional Office for the Prairie Provinces, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories in 2006. He is involved in the Regional Office’s public outreach and communications programs, including a program to increase public awareness of the anti counterfeiting features found on Canadian banknotes. Mr. Rocke has sixteen years experience in the banking industry including roles in leadership, project and cash management. He received a Diploma in Management Sciences with Honours from the Institute of Canadian Bankers in 2001.   Howard Sapers On February 24, 2004 Mr. Howard Sapers of Edmonton was appointed as Correctional Investigator of Canada. Previously, Mr. Sapers was the Vice-Chairperson for the Prairie Region of the National Parole Board of Canada. From 2001-2003, he held the position of Director of the Crime Prevention Investment Fund at the Department of Justice, and from 1993-2001, he served in the Alberta Legislative Assembly as health critic, treasury critic and acting leader of the Official Opposition. He was employed by the John Howard Society of Alberta from 1982 to 1993, serving as the Society's Provincial Executive Director for the last seven of those years. Mr. Sapers obtained a B.A. in Criminology from Simon Fraser University in 1979. He has a strong background in corrections, rehabilitation of offenders and crime-prevention gained through employment and community service. Mr. Sapers has received numerous accreditations for his significant contribution to the community-at-large and for his pursuit of social justice and social development.   Dennis Whitford Dennis Whitford is currently a senior manager with Region 8 Child and Family Services Authority. He has worked for 18 years in child and family services. Eleven of those years were spent working in the City of Calgary delivering services to the urban Aboriginal population. In Calgary Dennis was involved in implementing various initiatives in partnership with Calgary Aboriginal helping agencies and the broader Aboriginal public. In addition to obtaining his Master of Social Work (1994) at the University of Calgary Dennis has worked to expand his knowledge and understanding of the Aboriginal community through yearly attendance at cultural camps for the past 12 years   Gwen Wood Ms. Wood is currently employed by the City of Grande Prairie as Coordinator of the Winter Emergency Shelter and the Phase II Shelter. Gwen has been involved with issues relating to poverty for the past several years and has been involved with local, national and international groups to bring the voices of the poor into forums where they can be heard.