Values, Influence, and Peers
Encyclopedia
The Values, Influence, and Peers program is available in all of Ontario
's public elementary school
s to remind them about peer pressure
, shoplifting
, vandalism
, and other crimes committed by young offenders.
when this type of behavior begins to emerge with adolescent rebellion
. Videos are shown (either on VHS
or DVD
) and trips are made to courtroom
s to watch actual trial
s in progress so kids learn about the justice system. Mock trial
s are used if the caseload for the local courts is slow that day. The Youth Criminal Justice Act
(formerly known as the Young Offenders Act
) is studied in great detail.
The program can be delayed for that particular student until the year of his/her graduation (which would be around his/her 14th birthday) if he is taking special education
. Then he/she must take the course in order to graduate elementary school. This step could be taken for maturity
reasons or to assure that the student has the proper attention span
needed to pay attention to the course material since the course has a deeper context than most other elementary school courses. Roleplaying and mock scenarios are used to see whether students would break the law
or not by "pretending" to offer them drug
s, cigarette
s, help them shoplift
, or to help them commit grand theft auto
or vandalism
. Like all elementary school courses, it lasts 45 minutes a day but the students can take these skills into high school
and the rest of their adolescent lives. In addition to keeping children away from crime, the program also touches the subject of recreational drugs and their lethal effects on young people. The program aims to teach that drugs are not "cool," graduates eventually grow up to live happy and productive lives. They do so by learning to discriminate the drug pushers from the "normal" people.
The program was established in 1982 as a preventative measure and not as a scare tactic.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
's public elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s to remind them about peer pressure
Peer pressure
Peer pressure refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, or behavior in order to conform to group norms. Social groups affected include membership groups, when the individual is "formally" a member , or a social clique...
, shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
, vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
, and other crimes committed by young offenders.
Summary
The program is used to inform students in the sixth gradeSixth grade
Sixth grade is a year of education in the United States and some other nations. The sixth grade is the sixth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 11 – 12 years old...
when this type of behavior begins to emerge with adolescent rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
. Videos are shown (either on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
or DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
) and trips are made to courtroom
Courtroom
A courtroom is the actual enclosed space in which a judge regularly holds court.The schedule of official court proceedings is called a docket; the term is also synonymous with a court's caseload as a whole.-Courtroom design:-United States:...
s to watch actual trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
s in progress so kids learn about the justice system. Mock trial
Mock trial
A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
s are used if the caseload for the local courts is slow that day. The Youth Criminal Justice Act
Youth Criminal Justice Act
Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act is a Canadian statute, which came into effect on April 1, 2003. It covers the prosecution of youths for criminal offences...
(formerly known as the Young Offenders Act
Young Offenders Act
The Young Offenders Act was an act of the Parliament of Canada, granted Royal Assent in 1984, that regulated the criminal prosecution of Canadian youths...
) is studied in great detail.
The program can be delayed for that particular student until the year of his/her graduation (which would be around his/her 14th birthday) if he is taking special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
. Then he/she must take the course in order to graduate elementary school. This step could be taken for maturity
Maturity (psychological)
Maturity is a psychological term used to indicate how a person responds to the circumstances or environment in an appropriate manner. This response is generally learned rather than instinctive, and is not determined by one's age...
reasons or to assure that the student has the proper attention span
Attention span
Attention span is the amount of time that a person can concentrate on a task without becoming distracted. Most educators and psychologists agree that the ability to focus one's attention on a task is crucial for the achievement of one's goals....
needed to pay attention to the course material since the course has a deeper context than most other elementary school courses. Roleplaying and mock scenarios are used to see whether students would break the law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
or not by "pretending" to offer them drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
s, cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s, help them shoplift
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
, or to help them commit grand theft auto
Motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...
or vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
. Like all elementary school courses, it lasts 45 minutes a day but the students can take these skills into high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and the rest of their adolescent lives. In addition to keeping children away from crime, the program also touches the subject of recreational drugs and their lethal effects on young people. The program aims to teach that drugs are not "cool," graduates eventually grow up to live happy and productive lives. They do so by learning to discriminate the drug pushers from the "normal" people.
The program was established in 1982 as a preventative measure and not as a scare tactic.