Preventing Youth Violence

PLE Team Member Deqa Abdi wrote the following opinion piece about youth violence:

I think that reducing youth violence is not always about legal approaches but can be about communities learning how to work together to combat youth issues.  Growing up I was not exposed to much teen violence. From time to time, there would be tiny brawls after school, but they were never very serious. I think this was because my school offered a variety of diverse school programs including sports, clubs, committees and events that kept many students occupied and busy, leaving very little room for fighting. Facilities and after school programs like this are extremely useful in helping students keep their minds on positive activity rather than negative activities.  They allow students to put their creative talent to good use. If schools do not offer many after school programs that interest students, then there are always other facilities. For example, programs like YMCA and Toronto Community Recreational Centres are also very great centres for young students to spend their spare time.

We asked JFCY Social Work student Zakiya Atcha to tell us about some of the free or low-cost recreational resources that are available for youth across Toronto:

Here is a list of some recreational resources available across Toronto for free. If you have a child and youth worker or a social worker, you can also ask them to refer you to free programs in your area.  There are many different activities available, like sports, dance training, art, games etc.

1) YMCA (Many locations across Toronto)
 Website: http://www.ymcagta.org/en/youth/index.htmlb 

2) YWCA (Many locations across Toronto) 
Website: http://www.ywcatoronto.org/page.asp?pid=160 

3) Youth Training Youth (Sports and training - Downtown Toronto)
Website: http://youthtrainingyouth.com
55 Charles St. West
Toronto, ON M5S 2K5  

4) City of Toronto - (Youth Dance Courses – Many locations across Toronto)
Website: https://efun.toronto.ca/torontofun/Activities/ActivitiesDetails.asp?ProcessWait=N&aid=10004 

5) City of Toronto - (Youth clubs- chess, drumming etc. Many locations across Toronto) 
Website: https://efun.toronto.ca/torontofun/Activities/ActivitiesDetails.asp?ProcessWait=N&aid=10138 

6) The Hanger at Downsview Park- (Youth Ball Hockey House League- North York)  
Website: http://www.downsviewpark.ca/eng/youthHouseLeague.shtml  
 
7) Toronto City Mission (Different Youth Programs and multiple locations: Jane and Finch, St. James Town, Steeles Avenue, Birchmount and Willowtree) 
Website: http://torontocitymission.com/ 

8) Delta Family Resource Centre (Different Youth Programs)  
Website: www.dfrc.ca 
2972 Islington Ave, Unit 5
Toronto, ON, M9L 2K6

The JFCY PLE Team has some recreational fun at its September meeting.
Don't be fooled by the serious-looking boardroom.

Having Fun on Halloween

- Scenario by Lindsey Erickson and Ouran Li, Legal Information by JFCY


At fifteen years old, Jamie and her friends all agreed they were much too old to be trick-or-treating. This was the first year that they would have a real “grown-up” Halloween: co-ed, costumes, and, of course, alcohol. The group decided that they should definitely throw a party, but since Halloween fell on a weekday, it proved problematic finding a place to throw it. Their entire families would be home and they did not want to risk the consequences of getting caught by their parents, most of whom did not approve of underage drinking.

“We’ll just wing it,” declared Jamie’s best friend Amanda. “My big brother is going to get us a couple of mickies - we’ll find someplace to go.”

Jamie was nervous about the idea, but, not wanting to ruin the fun, she decided she would meet up with her friends on Halloween night.

After putting the finishing touches on her costume, Jamie received a text from Amanda saying that the party was going to be in the park across the school. The group knew that police officers frequented the park, but they were confident the wooded area directly behind would be safe. The signs around the park, however, made it quite clear that it was closed after 11pm. Once again Jamie simply shrugged it off, and headed on over.  It was after midnight by this point.

When Jamie arrived at 12:15am, she saw that the party was less than subtle. Many people were already quite intoxicated. Jamie’s friend Amanda was dancing on the park bench, dangerously close to teetering over.

Jamie had barely a sip of alcohol before she heard sirens. The majority of the party scrambled, rushing off into every direction. The next thing she knew a flashlight was in her face, and a stern voice asking what she was doing. The police had arrived.

What are the potential legal consequences for Jamie?

Underage drinking

Since Jamie and Amanda are both under 19, ss.30(8) of the Liquor Licence Act makes it illegal for them to have or consume alcohol.  While there are certain exceptions to this prohibition, drinking in the park on Halloween isn’t one of them!

Breaking curfew

One problem that Jamie and Amanda face is that they were out in a public place after midnight.  The Child and Family Services Act says that parents of children under sixteen cannot permit their children to be without an authorized adult in public places between midnight and six am.

Municipal bylaws

In addition to breaking Ontario laws, Jamie and Amanda could be breaking municipal bylaws of the town/city where they live.  Bylaws are the laws that are created by a city or a town.  For example, the City of Toronto has a whole chapter in its bylaws about the proper use of public parks.  One of the rules says that consuming, serving, or selling alcohol in a public park is not allowed without a licence from the Liquor Licence Board of Ontario.  Another one says that no one is allowed to gather in a public park after midnight and before 5:30 am without a special permit.  These are rules that apply to everyone, regardless of their age.

Curfew comic by PLE Team member Arif Hussain

Lindsey Erickson is a Paralegal Student at Seneca College, and Ouran Li is studying to be a Law Clerk at Seneca College.  They are volunteer members of the PLE Team at JFCY.

Education Law and the Youth Criminal Justice Act - JFCY staff write for Briefly Speaking

The most recent issue of Briefly Speaking features two articles by JFCY lawyers.  Check it out online!

Martha Mackinnon is the executive director of JFCY.  Her article, "The Legality of Education," discusses the legal structures that govern the education system in Ontario - key issues she addresses are the legal processes that relate to suspensions, expulsions, and special education.  (It's on page 22 in the paper edition!)

Staff lawyer Niamh Harraher has an article titled "Publication and Disclosure Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act."  The article talks about how the Youth Criminal Justice Act protects the privacy of young people who are involved in the criminal justice system, when exceptions happen so that privacy is no longer protected to the same extent, and how privacy can sometimes be diminished (though perhaps not intentionally) in certain situations.  (Page 38 in the paper edition.)

Privacy and Social Networking

-By Leora Jackson, JFCY volunteer and PLE Team Lead

Janine Loves Facebook


Janine is fifteen and uses Facebook to keep in touch with all of her friends.  Since she has friends from school, camp, and after-school activities, Facebook is a great way to be in touch with people.  When she wants to tell something to one of her friends, she posts on that friend’s wall.  Everyone else can see the post, but Janine doesn’t mind.  Last weekend, Janine went to a party at a classmate’s house.  She posted a whole album of photos online from the party.  The next week, there is an article about teen parties in the local paper.  One of Janine’s photos is published in the paper, and Janine gets really upset.  Her parents didn’t know that she attended the party.

What can Janine do to keep this from happening again?  
Was the newspaper allowed to use her picture?

Facebook is a private organization that collects personal information.  As a result, it must follow Canadian law about protecting privacy.  The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is a Canadian law that directs private organizations in how to protect the personal information of people who are involved with that organization.  PIPEDA applies in most Canadian provinces, including Ontario, and it limits the ways that an organization can use the personal information that you have provided it.

While people choose which information they post on Facebook, they can also choose who is able to see that information.  For example, Facebook has options that allow you to decide which other internet users can see your wall posts, your photos, your notes, and other information you have shared.  Facebook has even worked with Canada’s Information and Privacy Commissioner to improve its privacy controls in response to complaints.

To prevent this from happening again, Janine needs to update her Facebook privacy settings so that fewer people are able to see the information that she posts on Facebook.  She should also think before she posts, because once information is online, it is impossible to keep total control over it – even if it is later removed from the internet!  Facebook privacy settings are found here.

Since Janine took her pictures, she owns the copyright to them, which means that other people cannot reproduce them without asking her permission.  However, there is a “fair dealing” exception in the Copyright Act that allows news reporters to use copyrighted images as long as they cite the source of the image and, if it is available, the name of the image’s creator.  There are other exceptions as well in the Copyright Act. Janine would have to consult a lawyer to find out whether this use of her picture counted as fair dealing by the newspaper, or fits into another exception. 

However, when Janine posted her photo to Facebook, she granted Facebook a license to use the photo according to the Facebook Terms of Use, which means that Facebook can use Janine’s photo in many different ways without requesting her permission. So, for example, if Facebook used Janine’s photo in its newsletter, she would not be able to complain, since as a Facebook user, she has consented to Facebook’s Terms of Use.

Want to Learn More?

If you are interested in learning more about privacy, especially privacy online, check out the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s social networking pages, or their youth site.

If you want to read the laws that we discussed in this post, follow these links: PIPEDA and the Copyright Act.

 A Lesson in Privacy - from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner's
"My Privacy and Me" contest

Leora is in her first year of law school at the University of Toronto.  She is volunteering with JFCY through Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) and will be acting as the Public Legal Education Team Lead until March 2012. 

Meet your new Public Legal Education Team Lead!

Hello and welcome to the JFCY blog, if this is your first visit!  If not, welcome back.

My name is Leora Jackson and I am beginning a volunteer placement as the PLE Team Lead at JFCY through Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC).  PBSC is a Canada-wide organization that encourages law students (like me) to get involved with their communities by donating time and skills. 

I’ll be at JFCY throughout this year, working with staff lawyer Andrea Luey to lead the PLE Team.  My role will involve helping to promote and update JFCY’s social media outlets – this blog, Facebook, and Twitter.  I’ll also be helping to coordinate meetings and other projects.

Outside of JFCY, I attend law school at the University of Toronto.  I recently moved to Toronto from outside the city, and before that, I spent five years living and going to school in Kingston, Ontario.  At law school, I’m also involved as a tutor with the LAWS program, where one JFCY's summer staff participated as a student!

I have some ideas about how we can improve our social networking presence and the online information that we provide about legal issues facing children and youth, but I would really appreciate hearing your ideas and suggestions about the blog, the topics we cover, and how we can communicate better.

If you’re interested in joining the PLE team, find out more here (scroll to the bottom to find out about volunteering).  The team is currently working on a number of different projects, including future YouTube videos and resources on cyber-bullying.

I am thrilled to be at JFCY and I am looking forward to learning more about the organization and sharing that with you.  Have a great weekend!
Leora

JFCY Social Work Students for 2011/12

My name is Zakiya Atcha. I'm a fourth year Social Work student at Ryerson University. I've worked with youth from different communities for many years. I would like to pursue a career in the Human Rights field. I look forward to my time working at Justice for Children and Youth.

My name is Meghan Lindo and I am a student in the combined JD/MSW program (law and social work) at the University of Toronto. I will be completing my field placement at JFCY until April 2012. Since I started law school, I have been working with children and youth in many different settings, including: through the Law In Action Within Schools (LAWS) program as a student mentor, as a social work student in child welfare, and in my summer employment working on child abuse litigation in Kenya. I am excited to be working with JFCY this year and I anticipate learning a lot about child and youth law!

 

My name is Shannon Vassos. I am currently in my 4th year of the social work program at Ryerson University. My field experience thus far has focused on street involved and at risk youth. I plan to continue my education and pursue my masters in social work in the coming academic year. 

Zakiya, Shannon and Meghan, hard at work.

JFCY Annual General Meeting

 Join us for our Annual General Meeting!


When: Tuesday, October 18 at 7:00pm
Where: The 519 Church Street Community Centre, Rm106 (located at 519 Church St.)
We will be reviewing the past year's work at JFCY, highlighting our achievements, as well as honouring our volunteers. 
Refreshments will be provided.

Everyone is welcome to attend, but only JFCY Members are eligible to vote.  

To become a member, complete the member application form and mail it to us with the appropriate fee:
Membership Application Form - PDF file

Membership Application Form - Word (.doc) file

Please RSVP for the AGM by calling JFCY at 416.920.1633.

Ontario Provincial Election: October 6, 2011

-by Tiffany Mckenzie- JFCY Volunteer and PLE Team Member

This coming Thursday is a very important day.  You may not be old enough to vote, but that doesn’t mean that Thursday is just another day.

Do you know what I’m referring to?

Although it seems we have had an endless stream of elections over the past years, this year’s provincial election has been the quieter one of the bunch.  However, to all the youth out there, this election does impact you. The provincial government is responsible for passing laws that impact your life, including laws about school, employment, housing, and social welfare benefits. 

In startling newspaper articles it is estimated that a large percentage of “of age” youths do not vote or participate in elections.  What gives?

There is the adage that it doesn’t matter what we think but “that guy” is going to win anyways.

Well, not so fast.  We are young.  We are going to change the world.  Why should we let other people decide our futures for us? If you are old enough, get out and vote!

If you aren’t old enough to vote, that doesn’t mean you should disregard the political process either.  Be involved in any way that you can.  When you take civics in high school, actually pay attention to what’s going on so that you can understand how our government works, and eventually vote and maybe even run as a candidate in a future election...

For more info on this election, check out this website: http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/home.aspx

Tiffany is a volunteer member of the JFCY Public Legal Education Team.  She is a law clerk in Toronto.