grassroots Say no to drugs, yes to whitewater This past paddling season, three Whitehorse RCMP officers and a
probation officer set out to provide twelve disadvantaged youth with an alternative to drugs and alcohol, and some whitewater experiences that they won’t soon forget.
RCMP Constable Eyvi Smith and Whitehorse probation officer Andrew Hyde, both local raft guides, recognized an opportunity to help youth develop self-esteem and life skills. With assistance from constables Stefan Cadiuex and Jeff Monkman, and a raft from the RCMP, whitewa- ter training began. The program began in April with weekly sessions in the Whitehorse city pool, the only non-frozen water around. Throughout May and June, the youth met every Wednesday to practice rafting, kayaking and river rescue on the Yukon River, where the Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club has developed a whitewater playground. At the beginning of July, Bob Daffe of local rafting company
Tatshenshini Expediting provided the youth with a four-day raft guide training program. They spent the final day on the upper canyon of the Tatshenshini River, a class IV section of whitewater. “Once you’ve guided a whitewater raft through class IV water where
clients are depending on your judgment and your skills, your sense of self confidence grows ten-fold,” said Constable Smith. The program also provided the youth with an opportunity to see the off-duty side of the offi- cers, laughing and enjoying the river. One of the participants, Rob Smith, was hired by Tatshenshini Expediting to guide day trips on the Tatshenshini. Daffe also employed Smith to accompany him on the McNeil River, a remote tributary in north- eastern Yukon.
With the continued support of the RCMP, the Yukon Youth Investment Fund, the Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club, and Bob and Lynn Daffe of Tatshenshini Expediting, the program will introduce twelve more youth to the thrill of Yukon whitewater next summer.
—Andrew Hyde and Eyvi Smith
SW
Constable Eyvi Smith guides the Yukon Crew. Photo Lisa Turner.
2002 winter 13
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52