Events
Teachers’ Law Institutes
The JES, with the support of the Vancouver Foundation, is once again organizing a series of Teachers’ Law Institutes. These workshops provide teachers with an exceptional professional development opportunity for learning about the law and BC’s legal system. This year’s focus is on a new resource called Being an Active Citizen.
There will be four free workshops held on district-wide professional days in Vancouver (Feb. 18), Victoria (Feb. 18), Kelowna (Feb.18), and Prince George (Mar. 4). A copy of Being an Active Citizen will be given to each participant.
To register for an Institute and view its agenda, visit TeachersLawInstitutes.ca. There is limited enrolment so register now!
Immigrant Youth and Gangs Seminars
The JES will be hosting a number of seminars on immigrant youth and gangs in February and March. The focus of the presentations will be to help immigrant youth and parents understand the dangers of gang involvement and where they can go to get help.
There will be two training workshops for immigrant settlement workers, four community seminars for Punjabi, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese speaking communities and four youth forums. For more information on the dates and times of these events please contact us at 604.660.9870 or info(at)JusticeEducation.ca.
We Can BC Events in Victoria
The JES is pleased to present a number of events in Victoria in support of the We Can BC campaign.
We Can End All Violence against Women Workshop
This interactive workshop will explore different forms and types of violence, societal attitudes and beliefs that support them, and how change can happen. It takes place on Feb. 9 in Victoria.
We Can BC: Building the Movement
We are inviting representatives from various organizations, educators and community activists to learn more about the We Can BC campaign, and the ways to get involved locally. This workshop takes place on Feb. 9 in Victoria.
To find out where the events take place, event details and RSVP information, please visit We Can BC’s website.
These events are part of a provincial initiative funded by the Department of Justice Canada in support of the We Can End all Violence against Women BC campaign. For more information about this project, contact Anastasia.Gaisenok(at)JusticeEducation.ca
Law Day
2011 Law Week events in British Columbia will be held from April 9 to 16. Law Week events include the popular Dial-A-Lawyer program, mock trials, a public speaking contest for students, free law classes, citizenship ceremonies, courthouse tours and a fun run and free public forum in Vancouver.
Law Day will be held in Victoria on April 16 at the Victoria Courthouse as well as in Nanaimo on April 9 at the Nanaimo Courthouse. Look for more dates in cities throughout BC to be announced on the CBA BC website.
Announcements
New Website Aims to Reduce Gang Violence
GangPrevention.ca launched in December, giving British Columbians resources to prevent youth from joining gangs. The website aims to prevent youth involvement in gang activity by distributing information and resources to parents, teachers and the youth. These resources de-glamourize the gang lifestyle and show youth the reality of gangs – a life of violence, drugs and criminal activity.
“Educating youth and their families about the perils of gang life is critical to keeping our children out of gangs and organized crime,” said Rich Coleman, former Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “This new website showcases efforts to curb gang activity from schools and communities across B.C., as part of the provincial gang prevention strategy. It also provides a single point of entry for current, useful resources on gang prevention for youth, parents, teachers, caregivers and the public.”
The website features two sections. Youth, families and communities can access over 30 resources, including Steering Kids Away From Gangs: What Parents Need to Know, numerous videos that teach youth about the realities of being in a gang, and a Community Crime Prevention guide.
The second section allows teachers and service providers to access dozens of resources, such as a BC Gangs 101 webinar and Strength-based Approaches to Youth Gang Prevention in BC.
Additionally, the website features a list of service organizations that can help those affected by or at risk of gang involvement, such as crisis lines, victim services and police agencies. There is also a list of events focused on issues related to gangs.
“When youth visit this website they will find a wealth of information that will hopefully persuade them not to join a gang if they have been approached to do so,” said Rick Craig, executive director of the Justice Education Society. “It’s also important to provide resources for parents and teachers who spend a lot of time with these youth and can see the warning signs they exhibit before making choices that can lead them down this dangerous path.”
Designed and developed by the Justice Education Society, GangPrevention.ca is supported by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Community Assessment and Action Networks (CAANs) across BC. CAANs consist of service providers who work collaboratively to address youth gang violence and involvement in gangs.
New Supreme Court Videos
Three new videos have been added to SupremeCourtBC.ca! The first, featuring Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman, introduces the court and website. The next video provides information about Supreme Court rules, procedures, and forms. In the last video, viewers learn about making or responding to an application in chambers. An application asks the court to make an order to resolve issues that come up in your case before it goes to trial and all applications before trial are heard in chambers.
New Small Claims Court Video
To complete the project, which added 10 new court forms that use the Ministry of Attorney General’s Filing Assistant, a new video tutorial was created. The how-to video describes how to complete Small Claims Court forms – in print, online and with the Filing Assistant.
LawConnection.ca
LawConnection.ca has been updated with a new issue: International Criminal Court. Learn about why the court was created, how it works, and the four crimes that the court can prosecute.
Each issue features a backgrounder written by a Law Clerk with the BC Supreme Court or Court of Appeal, as well as teaching resources created by SFU’s Centre for Education, Law and Society.
LawConnection.ca provides BC teachers and students with an opportunity to learn about important issues happening in the law today and a chance to engage in activities and discussions that enhance the learning process.
On Feb. 1, the website will be updated with its next issue, which covers Alcohol and the Law. And there are more updates coming! To find out when they happen, follow us on Twitter or Facebook!
Public Legal Education Conference
Just a Click Away - a national conference on technologies for public legal education and information – takes place on Feb. 23 and 24 in Vancouver.
The conference is aimed at those who provide and support public legal education and information (PLEI), and want to improve how the Internet and emerging technologies can be used to deliver PLEI. The conference will feature such themes as best practices for public legal education websites, evaluation of online PLEI, and using social media and web 2.0 technologies. The Society will be presenting at four of the sessions.
New look for CourtInformation.ca
CourtInformation.ca has been updated and revised to feature a new homepage design, new navigation and new resource listings. The website contains information on numerous BC and Canadian law in six languages: English, French, Punjabi, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. Topics include family law, civil law, BC courts and criminal law.
New Staff
The JES is very excited to welcome a number of new employees: Lisa Steacy (Receptionist/Administrative Assistant), Jennifer Boundy (Mexico Justice Project Assistant), Anne Catherine Bajard (Latin American Project Coordinator) and Edgar Morales (International Projects Assistant).
In addition, Kathryn Rose has taken a new position and is now the Society’s Administrative Coordinator.
Project News
Court Link Testimonial
The following testimonial comes from a two-day Court Link program recently held in Quesnel. Court Link programs address the justice-related issues of Aboriginal youth who are at risk for trouble with the law, school dropout and substance abuse.
“I found the Court Link program that our students participated in to be very informative and highly beneficial to the students’ understanding of the justice system. All of the students returned to the school and expressed enthusiasm for their involvement in the program. All our students learned the difference between criminal cases and civil cases. They particularly enjoyed the interactive, face-to-face discussions with the special guests that you invited to speak with us.
“Some of our students gained valuable career information. On return to the school two young men spoke about becoming Sheriffs, while another student spoke of becoming a lawyer and another a court clerk. Thank you for organizing this interactive, informative and worthwhile educational experience for our students.”
We Can BC in the News
Tamarah Prevost, who works for the JES on the We Can BC campaign, recently wrote an engaging editorial for the Georgia Straight about preventing violence against women.
Human Rights Videos
The JES is working with the BC Human Rights Coalition to produce a series of videos that will teach immigrants about their human rights in BC and Canada. There will be five videos produced in English, and each one will be available in Chinese and Punjabi.
Topics include:
- Human Rights in BC (overview)
- Protection from Discrimination
- Discrimination in the workplace
- Discrimination in tenancy and services
- Pregnant? You have rights
The videos will be posted on JusticeEducation.ca by March 31.
Pro Bono / Unbundled Legal Services Videos
The JES is producing a series of videos along with Access Pro Bono, the Law Society of BC and Salvation Army Pro Bono Program. These web-based resources will prepare clients to receive pro bono and unbundled legal services and will be in English, Chinese and Punjabi. Content will also be delivered via videos, fact sheets, checklists, on-screen text and video transcripts.
Topics will include:
- The Role of Lawyers and the Courts
- What Are Your Options?
- Preparing to Meet With a Lawyer
The videos will be posted on ImmigrantLegal.ca by March 31.
Year-End Website Numbers
The Society’s 24 websites received more than 254,000 visitors during 2010. Our three most popular websites were JusticeEducation.ca, SmallClaimsBC.ca and SupremeCourtSelfHelp.bc.ca.
These statistics are for the Society’s public websites only. The Society also maintains four websites that are password-protected so that only specified users can visit them.
Being an Active Citizen Project on Facebook
Being an Active Citizen provides information and resources for high school students to become active citizens and for teachers to access citizenship teaching resources. You can now follow the project on Facebook, where you will receive project updates and news stories about youth being active citizens in their communities.
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