POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 41 As originally published Kids ’n’ Kops allows youngsters on Big Brothers, Big Sisters waiting list to spend time with city police in and out of uniform. Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the Charlottetown police have teamed up to give youngsters a week filled with joyous and educational activities. This week, Constables Gary Clow and Melissa MacCann will swim, bowl, play mini-golf and even make chairs with 11 children from all over P.E.I. Called Kids ’n’ Kops, it’s the seventh year of a program which allows kids who are on the Big Brothers, Big Sisters waiting list to spend some time with Charlottetown police officers in and out of uniform. “When they leave here Friday, they’ll have a different perspective,” Clow said on Monday. “When they look at a police officer, they’ll look at him and say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is what they do’.” In the mornings, the children, who are ages 9 to 12, will watch presentations at the Charlottetown police station. The presentations focus on issues like bullying, self-esteem, shoplifting and drugs. Six or seven officers will give two presentations a day. “We wanted to pick presentations that were for their age level, and that at this time in their lives, they’d be dealing with,” MacCann said. In the afternoons, the children will go to the beach, tour the police station and swim at the CARI pool, among other activities. The police officers will take off their uniforms and replace them with shorts and T-shirts. It’s a way for the kids to see the police officers not as dominating figures, but as everyday people, Clow said. “The kids get to see the police officers in two walks of life: professionalism, as an officer, and as an ordinary person having fun, playing soccer and bowling,” he said. Added MacCann: “They get to see the other side of us. We’re not always the bad people. We can have fun, we’re not scary.” Yvonne Cartner, executive director of Big Brothers, Big Sisters, said the program allows her to “get a feel” for the kids before they’re matched. That is, she can learn more about the children and their personalities, so she’ll later be able to match the children with the perfect big brother or sister. “This is a great opportunity, you get to see how they interact with other kids their own age, and how they act with adults,” Cartner said. The waiting list is usually six to nine months for girls and two years for boys. That is because there are not enough volunteers and women volunteers outnumber men by a ratio of about two to one. On Monday, the kids were sworn in by Clow. They later got the outfits - bright yellow T-shirts and hats - they’ll be wearing all week. There’ll be a graduation ceremony on Friday, and the children will all receive certificates. While the children will write down the activities they did each day, and evaluate them, explaining what they liked and didn’t like. This will help Clow, MacCann and Cartner develop an even better week for next summer, they said. Over the years, the program has been changing for the better. “It’s evolved as we’ve developed a better understanding of the kids and what they find interesting, and what fits with the program in terms of learning about the role of police in the community,” Cartner said. Constable Gary Clow of the Charlottetown police department fingerprints Brandon Bernard and Naomi Alizadeh in Charlottetown Monday, the first day of Kids ’n’ Kops week. By Caitlin McIntyre, The Guardian - July 13, 2005 In the News... Youngsters see another side to police officers
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