BC Civil Liberties Association
7th Annual Freedom in Action:
Youth, Civil Liberties and Citizenship Forum
Simon Fraser University
Harbour Centre
515 West Hastings Street
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
We are suggesting a voluntary per student donation
of $5 to assist the Association with the cost
of producing this event.
Agenda
8:30 – 9:00 Registration
9:00 – 9:05 Welcome
David Eby, Executive Director, BCCLA
The Importance of Human Rights

9:05 – 9:50 Session I: What Are Civil Liberties?
Jesse Lobdell
High School Students and Civil Liberties

9:55 – 10:45 Session II: Youth and Criminal Law
Brock Martland, Lawyer, Smart, Harris & Martland
Youth and Criminal Law

10:45 – 11:05 Break
11:05 – 12:00 Session III: B.C. Centre for Disease Control
James Tigchelaar, B.C. Centre for Disease Control

Compassion? Why bother?

We are constantly being pulled in two directions. While part of our nature urges us that in order to survive, we must think only of ourselves, another challenges us to take care of each other. What does this tension mean in our individual and social lives? Why is it important? How does it translate into how we set up our society? James Tigchelaar will first describe what this struggle has meant in his work as a public health nurse and educator in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side. He will then explore the difficulties we all encounter coming to terms with the challenge to look out for people who are disadvantaged, both as individuals and as members of society.

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch Break
Session IV: Citizenship Workshops
Group 1
80 students
Group 2
40
students
Group 3
40
students
Group 4
40
students
Room
1900
Room
1315
Room
1425
Room
1520
1:00 – 1:45 Aboriginal Interests:
David Dennis
Anti-oppression:
Romi Chandra Herbert
Food Security:
Environmental Youth Alliance
Housing:
Tenants Resource & Advisory Centre
1:45 – 2:05 Break
Room
1900
Room
1425
Room
1520
Room
1315
2:05 – 2:50 Ben West: Western Wilderness Committee Food Security:
Environmental Youth Alliance
Housing:
Tenants Resource & Advisory Centre
Anti-oppression:
Romi Chandra Herbert
2:50 – 3:00 Evaluation

1 Anti-Oppression

Romi Chandra Herbert
Romi will discuss how students can do their part in reducing prejudice and bullying in school.

2 Aboriginal Interests

David Dennis
David Dennis, Executive Director of the Frank Paul Society, will discuss a variety of issues impacting First Nations’ peoples.

3 Western Wilderness Committee

Ben West
Ben West is the Healthy Communities Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee, Canada’s largest membership based wilderness preservation organization with over 30 thousand members across Canada. His work focuses on community organizing to address the causes of climate change and the sources of dangerous toxins. Ben has also served as spokesperson for the Aurora Institute, an NGO focused on reforming the laws that govern corporations to better serve society. In his spare time Ben is a film maker, juggler, comedy enthusiast and a fan of counter culture art. He is is passionate about ecological literacy, environmental justice and he is always looking for creative ways to make green jobs for everyone a reality.

4 Tenants Resource and Advisory Centre

TRAC Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre is a non-profit, educational charity that provides free legal information on BC’s Tenant-Landlord law through their website www.tenants.bc.ca, legal education workshops, multilingual resources (20 languages) and a Tenant Infoline.

Workshops are designed to educate tenants on their rights and responsibilities.  Protect your home by learning about the rules around repairs, evictions, deposits, quiet enjoyment, bed bugs, condition inspection reports, breaking leases, guest access, pets and more. At the end of our presentations, participants are always provided with an opportunity to ask questions and given resources to take home.

5 Environmental Youth Alliance

Matthew Kemshaw
Food for Thought: The Environmental and Social Impact of Your Food Choices
Environmental Youth Alliance >>
This interactive workshop gives a broad overview of the present state of food security in Vancouver, as well as what local non-profits are doing to address it. Learn about what food security means and how it bridges the gap between all humans. People need access to safe and healthy foods at all times. The recent discovery of melamine in foods exported by China serves to illustrate the importance of food security.
Be exposed to the various projects going on in your city right now and see how anyone and everyone can fit within a vibrant network creating positive social change everyday. If you consider poverty and environmentalism as issues of concern, enjoy mind-tickling games and open-minded debates, and are looking for a bit of fun and inspiration, then this workshop is the one for you!