November 1, 2004

Contact: Dave Stephen
Phone 604-864-4611
Fax: 604-859-6653

E-mail: dave.stephen@ucfv.ca  

Institute for Safe Schools of British Columbia opens at UCFV

A new chapter for the safe schools and communities initiative in BC was marked today when officials gathered to officially open the Institute for Safe Schools of British Columbia at the University College of the Fraser Valley.  

On hand at the ceremony at UCFV’s Abbotsford campus were the Honorable Rich Coleman, Solicitor General of British Columbia, Dr. Beverly Busson, Deputy Commissioner of the RCMP E Division, UCFV president Skip Bassford, and other special guests.  

The opening reflects the move and renaming of the British Columbia Safe Schools and Communities Centre, formerly located in Burnaby. The Institute for Safe Schools of British Columbia, as it will now be known, will bring together educators, police agencies, community organizations, students, and others, to support the development and coordination of resources and research for evidence-based approaches for safe, healthy, and inclusive schools and communities.

 “I’m looking forward to building on the success of the B.C. Safe School Centre to date,” said Dr. Martha Dow, the Director of the Institute for Safe Schools of BC, “and to moving forward in partnership with school districts, policing organizations, and community groups across the province, identifying best practices and developing programs.”

As an integral part of this new direction, the Institute for Safe Schools of BC will assist schools and communities by continuing to act as a centralized source for information, training, and support materials and by broadening its mandate to provide research and program evaluation. The move towards evidence-based research will help schools and communities access the tools and programs they need to address and enhance public safety concerns in their communities.  

“This Institute will allow for increased dialogue and information sharing between educators, justice agencies, community groups and government,” said UCFV president Skip Bassford. “It will enable us to learn from the experiences of others and share ideas and successes.”   

The Institute receives funding from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and is supported by the Community Policing Services E Division of the RCMP.   

The Institute for Safe Schools of British Columbia is located in the Peter Jones Learning Centre at the UCFV Abbotsford campus, 33844 King Road, Abbotsford, B.C. Phone: 1-888-224-7233.

Backgrounder below for more information.

For more information please contact:
Dr. Martha Dow, Director, Institute for Safe Schools of British Columbia
778-808-2097 (Abbotsford)

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Institute for Safe Schools of British Columbia
Backgrounder

The Institute for Safe Schools of British Columbia, located at the University College of the Fraser Valley, consists of an interdisciplinary team of researchers, practitioners, students, and community partners committed to providing research and resources that support the creation of safe and socially responsible schools and communities.

This commitment is realized through research, resources, professional development, and networking, including:

• Research into school safety and social responsibility
• Development of strategies to respond to peer victimization
• Evaluation and assessment tools that allow schools and communities to determine best practices in their setting
• Resource library that provides access to wide variety of print and resources
• Training and professional development for police, schools, and community agencies
• Coordination of a provincial network of safe school contacts from each school district
• Support and coordination for a provincial network of police members who work with youth throughout the province
• Support for parents and community members seeking information for safe schools and communities
• Support for teachers and police officers seeking research and program development and classroom resources.

Resources available:

ISSBC maintains an extensive print and video resource collection for use by police, educators, and community members. Resources are available to address areas of concern such as peer victimization (bullying and harassment), safe school planning, social responsibility, substance abuse, effective parenting, at-risk youth, conflict resolution, child abuse, and sexual exploitation.

Current projects of the Institute include:

• Developing a Safe Schools/Social Responsibility student survey. The survey measures students’ concerns about personal safety, levels of school and community involvement, home-school connections, extracurricular involvement, drug and alcohol use. The survey will be used to assist in determining priorities, planning for effective responses and assessing the effectiveness of chosen interventions
• Developing a variety of assessment tools for schools and communities to evaluate program effectiveness and assist in school planning
• Developing of a comprehensive safe school curriculum program for school liaison officers.

For more information, contact the
Institute for Safe Schools of British Columbia at 1-888-224-7233.

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