Subcommittees

Following is a description of the 2008 subcommittees and their work.  This page will be updated for 2008 some time in March.

Youth at Risk 

Our subcommittee is specifically concerned with the experience of Youth at Risk in the city of Vancouver, with a special reference to the social impacts that may arise for this group in light of the upcoming 2010 Olympic Games. Our subcommittee came into existence based on the view that the particular situation and experiences of youth at risk put this group in a vulnerable position. It is our opinion that the city has not paid enough attention to this area, thus we intend to serve as a liaison between the City and youth on these issues. We report on these issues and others to the Attorney General, to the City Council or to others, as required.

Our goals include:

1. To act as a liaison between the FCYJ committee and community organizations, front-line workers, government structures/programs involved with issues of youth at risk and, where possible, youth at risk themselves.
2. To obtain a sound knowledge basis in regards to the issues that youth at risk face in Vancouver, specifically as they pertain to the upcoming 2010 Olympics.
3. To provide avenues through which youth at risk and other relevant community organizations can express their views and share their information with the general public.

Our tasks for 2006-2008 included:

• Planning our 2010 “Impact of the Olympics on youth at risk in Vancouver” research report.
• Liaising with various community initiatives and groups who work with youth at risk in the Vancouver area.
• Writing special memos to the mayor on policies or programmes which are relevant to youth at risk in Vancouver.

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Youth Justice Sub-Committee

The mission of Family Court Youth Justice Youth Liaison Subcommittee is to raise awareness of youth’s legal rights and advocate the integration of troubled youth back into the society. We achieve these mission statements through organizing activities held in Vancouver high schools either independently or in cooperation with other subcommittees.

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Restorative Justice Sub-Committee (retired July 2007)

Highlight of Activities from 2004 – 2007

Members of the Restorative Justice Sub-Committee of the Family Court Youth Justice Committee for the City of Vancouver have included a core group of individuals from various backgrounds committed to the education, advocacy and development of restorative justice initiatives in the City of Vancouver since 2004.

Our first event to promote education of the community at large was held October 27, 2004.  A workshop was organized and held at the Vancouver School Board.  A panel of 7 beginning with keynote speaker, Judge Barry Stuart spoke to the questions “What is Restorative Justice”, “How does it Work” and “Why do we need it”.  This was followed with a conferencing role play using members of the audience and ending with a questions and answer period.  Feedback from the 150 plus attendees of the workshop was very positive and led to questions of “What’s next” and “Where do we go from here?”

Members of the sub-committee created a proposal to present to Vancouver City Council.  On July 20, 2006 the motion, “That the City of Vancouver support in principle, the creation of a restorative justice programme in the City of Vancouver”, was passed.

Funded by the office of the Solicitor General, our sub-committee organized three forums. The first forum held April 19th 2006 was designed to create a “Vision”.  The second forum held September 19th was to “Develop a Strategy”, and the last in this series, held January 23rd, 2007 was an “Implementation” workshop.

Consensus determined that a “HUB” be created to provide resources, networking, education, training, keep statistics, monitor referrals and facilitate communication between collaborative stake holders.  An existing non-profit society that had been inactive was offered for use.

Our sub-committee reviewed and amended the constitution and by-laws, hosted a membership meeting and organized the Annual General Meeting.  The society, Vancouver Association of Restorative Justice, elected a new board in May 2007.  Our sub-committee are all members and 4 are now on the Board of Directors of “VARJ”.

Our members continue to work toward the goal of VARJ which is:

To advance the knowledge and application of restorative practices in the City of Vancouver.

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Family Court Sub-Committee

The 2007-08 Family Court Sub-Committee has focused on promoting the voice of ESL family court litigants in Vancouver.  We have worked on two tasks this year; the first was participating in the Family Relations Act review and the second was providing a critique of existing on-line family law information that is available in multiple languages. The Family Relations Act review has now been completed and we have submitted information based on our consultation with two Vancouver-based multicultural social service agencies.  The second task was a critique of the Multilingual Law website.  Work on this task is still underway and we expect that the 2008 sub-committee will continue with this work.