Pubdate: Sat, 09 Jun 2007
Source: Cowichan News Leader (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 Cowichan News Leader
Contact:  http://www.cowichannewsleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1314
Author: Michelle Thompson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

EAST SIDE TRIP A LESSON IN DRUGS, FILM AND MONEY

The lessons teen Rachelle Jones learnt during a trip to Vancouver's 
seedy east side were valuable in more ways than one.

On one hand, she was reminded that saying yes to drugs is never wise. 
And in the other hand she's now holding $2,500 won by taking those 
lessons and turning them into a project plan.

The 18-year-old was one of 11 "deserving" Vancouver Island students 
to earn community leader scholarships through the Coastal Community 
Credit Union.

Jones submitted a 15-minute video she created using 48 hours of 
footage shot by her and classmates during a Scared Straight tour of 
east Vancouver last year.

While cutting the film down to size was a monotonous task, she feels 
it captures addiction's personal toll.

"I tried to focus most of my movie on the people," she said. "They 
have lived it and they know it. Everybody realized they made a huge, 
monumental mistake."

Wandering the east side alleys and meeting the addicts who call the 
area home gave Jones the kind of education she couldn't get in a 
classroom, she said.

Documenting the experience gave her something else: the ability to 
feed her artistic appetite.

"I love creative writing," she said. "Film is just another medium to 
get that across."

She wasn't the only Cowichan Valley teen to be recognized with a scholarship.

Shawnigan Lake school student Francesca Champagne was recognized for 
her project Pedal Power to the People, a plan to greenify Parksville 
by making it cyclist friendly.

Champagne, 17, is boarding in Shawnigan Lake but her family lives in 
Parksville. When she visits home and goes biking, she finds there 
aren't many other cyclists on the road, possibly because the roads 
are frightening.

"I thought if that changed, people would be more inclined to get on 
their bikes and ride to work," she said. "Part of it was to try and 
bring more bike-friendly routes in the community, where people could 
ride without worrying about cars."

The contest winner, who hails from Comox, received $3,000 of personal 
money and an equal amount that will go toward implementing his proposed plan.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom