By Balwant Sanghera
Kwantlen Polytechnic University, along with a number of community partners, put on an excellent conference from July 23 to 25 at the spacious Sheraton Hotel in Surrey. It was a celebration of Acting Together-Community University Research Alliance (AT-CURA) project. Aptly named Youth Strengths Conference, the focus of this assembly was on youth strengths and to empower them to become productive and proud citizens. The AT-CURA team lead by Dr. Gira Bhatt did an excellent job in bringing to-gether top notch professionals not only from Canada but also from abroad.
The conference kicked off with a Reception and Opening Ceremony on Wednesday evening with a welcome address and greetings by Surrey Mayor Diana Watts, Assistant Deputy Minister Lynda Cavanaugh, BC Ministry of Justice, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Norm Lipinski and AT-CURA Project Director Dr.Gira Bhatt. Thursday, July 24 began with a keynote address by Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener. His talk: Packing for the Journey: How Focusing on Strengths Equips Youth for Lifelong Success was received very well by 250 attendees at this Conference. Dr. Biswas-Diener’s address was followed by a number of concurrent sessions. The topics for these sessions were very diverse. They included: Engaging and Managing Angry Young Men, Strengths Building Amidst Risk,Empowering and Equipping Youth Workers and Youth Violence in Urban Context.
Dan Malo, RCMP Chief Superintendent, has been leading the crusade against gangs, drugs and violence for a long time. He is one of the best authorities on this subject. The conference attendees were treated to a very enlightening talk by Mr. Malo. He gave a brief background about the police efforts in combatting gangs, violence and drugs. Mr. Malo suggested that as a community we should try to provide our youth with good role models and mentors. In this context, Dr. Roger Tweed, lead researcher for AT-CURA shared the research findings of a study conducted in high schools. It dealt with the topic of keeping youth away from a path of violence and building up their strengths. The day concluded with a moving presentation by Katie Hutchison with her topic: Walking After Midnight: A Personal Story of a Family’s Journey through Trauma and Healing.
Friday, the last day of the Conference, began with an exciting keynote address by UBC Professor, Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl. She emphasized that in order to help our youth we need to create a caring environment for them and empower them with specific skills. At the same time, as caregivers and educators, we need also to take care of ourselves as well as our well –being and happiness. We need to move from ill -will to good- will in order to have a positive impact upon our youth. She was followed by Dr. Michael Unger of Dalhousie University who highlighted the importance of tailoring help and support for individual youth at-risk.
Importantly, the conference delegates included youth and their parents. Also, it was great to see a number of our elected officials. They included Jasbir Sandhu, Member of Parliament for Surrey North, Jinny Sims, Member of Parliament for Newton-Delta North and BC’s Minister of Advanced Education, Amrik Virk.
Since youth was the focus of the conference, there were five interactive workshops for youth led by renowned key presenters Dr. Unger and Dr. Biswas- Diener who have expertise in resilience and strength-based approach to empower youth.
Both days were full of very helpful breakout sessions and panel discussions.
The entire conference was full of very exciting sessions and keynote addresses. The organizers did an excellent job in making the conference as an exciting, enjoyable and beneficial experience. It brought to-gether various law enforcement agencies, academic researchers and the community to-gether in a unique manner. The quality of resource persons was amazing. It was a great learning experience for all the 250 delegates which included professionals, parents, youth, academic researchers, frontline workers, police officers and policy makers. The organizers deserve a vote of thanks and appreciation for putting on such a wonderful conference.
Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist. He chairs the South Asian Community Coalition Against Youth Violence, a partner with AT-CURA Project.
