Baie d' Espoire youth in trouble with the law who are first time offenders can now get a second chance. A new program called Alternative Measurers for Youth has been started in this area. Sponsored by the Department of Social Services Youth corrections division, the program was approved in September and started in October when the committee running the program went on a three week training program.
When any young people are arrested, the arresting officer will inform them if they are eligible for the Program. If they are between 12 and 18 years of age, has no previous record and have not gone through the program before, where there is sufficient evidence to prosecute and most important, if the youth accepts responsibility for the offense, then they are eligible.
Offenses covered include theft under $1,000.00. Break Enter and Theft, stealing an automobile, common assault, minor vandalism, minor possession of marihuana or hashish, ATV and snowmobile offenses, LCA offenses, harassing phone calls or causing a disturbance.
The Alternative Measures Program believes that a young person should be responsible for his/her own action. Young persons have a right to the least possible interference with their freedom. The community has the right and responsibility to be involved in the youth justice system and the interests and concerns of the victim and the offender should be addressed.
For Dawn Parsons, social worker with the Miawpukek First Nation, "For many first time offenders, the first time is the last time". Her comment is reflected in the objectives of the program.
Listed in a pamphlet released by the Alternative Measurers Committee, they include reducing the degree of involvement by the justice system in the young person's life, promote community involvement and awareness through public discussion and education, attain greater harmony between young offenders, their victims and their community, provide offenders with the opportunity to assume greater responsibility for their actions and play an active role in conflict resolution and finally, provide an effective means of deterring young persons from future conflicts with the law.
The program is not new to the province however. Similar ones have been in place in Grand Falls for the past ten years and in St. John's even longer. Now Baie d' Espoire and Baie Verte have been given the opportunity to make the program work for their youth. Tina Stacy, chairperson for the committee, points out that, "(Although) there's no court and no record", the young offender "Still has to do something."
There is a precise procedure followed once the offender is informed of the program. The end result if everything works well is that the youth signs a contract that outlines what is expected of the young offender to make amends for his/her actions. Terms of the contract may include a written or verbal apology, working for a community agency or organization, attendance at an educational session or any other terms felt to be suitable. On completion of the contract, all records of the offense are closed
Twenty-nine girls and three boys, ages from six to twelve, make up the SE'TANEWE' School Choir. Early on Monday, March 25, 1996, they will leave their little community of Miawpukek (Conne River) and head off to Grand Falls once again to take part in the Central Newfoundland Music Festival.
The provincial music festival is held every year and the Central Newfoundland Music Festival is the one hurdle this and other musical groups must get over to get to it.
Miawpukek's school Choir made it once before, two years ago, and then went on to win the provincial's. They even performed in the "Stars Concert" later on in the festival, where only the best groups of the festival appear.
This School Choir has a lot of new faces, but there are enough veteran performers present to prepare the others for the pressures of performing. And perform they will. They will be take part in two competitions, the mixed choirs and the sacred. In the mixed, they will be singing the theme song from Pocahontas, and Buffy Saint Marie's Seeds of Brotherhood. In the sacred competition, they will sing Peace on Earth and All Through The Night.
Ostensibly they will be going to compete in a provincial competition and sing to win. But they go also as representatives of their community. According to Brenda Jeddore, the driving force behind the choir, the performers song and dress reflect their traditional culture. Like their fellow performers, the provincially renown Mi'kmaw Choir, Miawpukek's premiere ambassadors, the school choir will perform in traditional dress. They will also be accompanied by Se'tanewe's and Miawpukek's, traditional drummers.
Besides the Choir competitions, several of Se'tanewe's students will compete in piano and voice solos, both male and female categories.
The small Mi'kmaw community of Miawpukek (Conne River) had much to be proud of this week. Their 29 member school Choir won two major awards at the 31st Kiwanis Music Festival.
Their first major award, in the Sacred Music category was for "Best Performance by a Choir Group - Fourteen years and under", where they scored 86%. This award was in the form of an inscribed plaque, donated by Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union, which is expected to be displayed prominently in Se'tanewe' school.
The other, in the Mixed Choir category was for "Best Performance by a Choir (excluding church choir) - fourteen years and under, where their score was 90%. This award was the Bruce Reid Memorial Award in the form of a Perpetual cup, a miniature cup, and a $100.00 scholarship.
The awards were accepted on Behalf of the school by Choir member Stacy Howse and high school teacher Lisa Tobin. In addition to the awards the group were once again chosen for the "Stars" concert.
Adjudicator Carol Boynon's adjudication for the choir was "…a very musical and polished performance."
Words of phrase like "Good for them" or "They deserve it" were on the lips of everyone who read the notice of the first place finishes posted in the school the day after the concerts.
The School choir however attributes all their success to the efforts of "Miss Brenda" (Brenda Jeddore), who said "The quality of the children's performance was superb. They worked hard and represented their community well". Miss Brenda is the brains and driving force behind both the Mi'kmaw Choir and the School Choir. She works tirelessly with both groups.
Though these awards were awarded to the singers, they also are a recognition of her by her peers. But for Miss Brenda, her real rewards are in the enjoyment of a performance well done or a note well carried and the fact that this is the second time in the past two years her expertise in her field has been recognized by the first place finish of the students she trains.
As an example of her dedication, few people know that when training the Mi'kmaq Choir, she herself learnt the Mi'kmaw honor song. Then after she had checked with learned Mi'kmaw language teachers to be sure that she had the words and the tune right, she taught the song to her choir.
The children will spend the remainder of their school year practicing Mi'kmaw chants for Miawpukek's first annual powwow in July.