When Kim Wong joined the VPD’s Youth Services Section (YSS) several years ago, she started in a role that supported existing programs, but she quickly determined a need for additional youth programming. Drawing from her own high school experience in Vancouver, she recalled there being an abundance of extracurricular options for students interested in sports, whereas arts-based activities often required prior experience and existing skill, or were privately funded and potentially cost prohibitive.
It was here that Kim realized a void: youth who were not interested in sports were largely being left behind, unable to access recreational options that met their needs. She knew right away there was an opportunity to support and serve these kids better. She also noticed that the VPD has traditionally based their youth outreach efforts on sports and athletics, and wondered how the benefits of a potential YSS arts-based program could further support youth.
“I wanted to help create something that addresses the needs of youth left out of recreational programming by the physicality of sports” explains Kim. “The Engagement Through Art program aims to address this gap in service, ensuring that equal opportunities are available to youth not interested in athletics, but who would benefit from having a creative outlet and access to arts-based learning.”
Kim got to work securing connections with several community partners, including four Vancouver community centres, arts instructors, and the VPD. She also needed funding for the program, which is when she turned to the Vancouver Police Foundation. Once Kim was successful in her funding application to the VPF, the Engagement Through Art program, or ETA for short, was thus named as a nod to the demonstrated needs of the time. While ETA typically stands for ‘estimated time of arrival’ in policing, the ETA program recognizes that the time of arrival for engagement through art…is now.
Funds received from the VPF enabled the program to hire qualified and experienced arts instructors, purchase program and art supplies, arrange for entry tickets to local arts and culture exhibitions, and provide snacks and beverages to youth participants.
With free programming for up to 36 youth, the ETA program is currently being delivered at Trout Lake, Thunderbird, Hillcrest, and Marpole-Oakridge Community Centres. Participants engage in a minimum of three art forms over the course of 8-12 weekly arts programming sessions. Each series of workshops is customized based on the personalities, interests, and needs of the youth in attendance, with art-making and discussions centred on different social themes wherever possible.
All ETA participants are chosen based on identified needs, with priority given to those at increased risk of criminal victimization and/or involvement. Program referrals are made by community centre youth workers, VPD officers, as well as other community- and school-based counsellors, teachers, and/or support staff.
“We anchor each class around resilience and support, which is reflected in both the art pieces and the conversations that are facilitated,” adds Kim.
This year, ETA is also proud to integrate fieldtrips to various arts and culture exhibitions, providing thought-provoking and inspiring experiences that participants may otherwise not have the financial means or ability to attend.
Additionally, Kim has structured the program to enable consistent opportunities for VPD Members from the Youth Services Unit, Youth Community Response Unit, School Liaison Unit, Patrol, and other sections across the VPD to participate in artistic endeavours and casual engagements alongside the youth participants.
“It is very important to create an environment where youth can come to, both inside and outside our ETA classrooms. I want these teens to feel comfortable exploring different creative processes, and I want to provide an avenue for support where they can feel comfortable turning to a police officer if they ever need help.”
For Kim and the partner service providers, the relationship-building aspect of ETA is just as important as the arts content of each session. Not only are the youth building connections with trusted adults, they are also getting to know teens from other areas of Vancouver, with new peer-to-peer friendships inevitably developing in the program.
“Arts-based youth programming has been found to have significant impacts on socioemotional development and resiliency-based learning,” explains Kim. “Traditional police-based, youth outreach programs have historically shied away from this form of engagement and interaction, so I’m very proud to have helped launch alternative programming for the kids and teens who need it most.”
The Vancouver Police Foundation supports programs and initiatives that fall within three streams: community outreach and engagement (including programs for women, youth and seniors); public and personal safety; and specialized equipment and technology. You can help make Vancouver safer for all by donating to the Vancouver Police Foundation.