Keywords:
police, community resources, TG Innerselves, administration, relationships, support, perseverance
police, community resources, TG Innerselves, administration, relationships, support, perseverance
Transcript
Vincent: It’s interesting, because a lot of this relationship that we have developed with the school boards has come from our relationship with the police service.
Tara: Interesting.
Vincent: Because they have the officers in the schools, so at the beginning, or in the beginning I should say in the beginning we had police officers who had said, Vincent, you really need to be in the schools. I’m going to get us in the schools. You have the uniforms and the power to do it. And-- I’m being--I’m being funny. You have--you have that reputation, and they will listen to you. As somebody who’s in an agency that’s just starting off, and especially when I first--when I first started doing public speaking I was--I was in high school. Um, but when TG Innerselves first received funding I mean I was still in my first year of university, I was younger, and people didn’t take me seriously. People were not sure, you know, who this TG Innerselves program is, and what it is that we really stand for. So being able to have the police, after we trained all of them, say, look, this is a great resource, use it, it helped give us that credibility.
Tara: Some legitimacy.
Vincent: Yes, exactly. Exactly. So for us, um, for most schools it hasn’t been an issue getting in. I just go to--because usually the social worker at the school, or the guidance counsellor, or a teacher at the school who calls me and says, “Hey Vincent, I would love for you to come in and speak to this student.” So when I go to sign in, they know I’m coming, or they know who I am.
Tara: Right. Right.
Vincent: So that hasn’t been an issue.
Tara: Okay.
Vincent: I haven’t experienced any resistance, although there’s one particular school, and it just turns out that the principal there is the one that was my principal.
Tara: Wow. Because you grew up in Sudbury.
Vincent: Who gave me--yah. Who gave me a hell of a time. Um, that particular school has been really hard to get into.
Tara: Yes.
Vincent: And what’s sad about it is, it comes often from the top down.
Tara: Right.
Vincent: So if you have that resistance at the top it’s really hard to--to reach the students in that school. So I‘ve been working at trying to get an in with other people who work within that school.
Tara: Right.
Vincent: And, um, hoping that - at the end of the day I mean I don’t care if there are people within the administration who don’t personally like me, it’s about the kids.
Tara: Right.
Vincent: So, there’s always a way in.
Vincent: It’s interesting, because a lot of this relationship that we have developed with the school boards has come from our relationship with the police service.
Tara: Interesting.
Vincent: Because they have the officers in the schools, so at the beginning, or in the beginning I should say in the beginning we had police officers who had said, Vincent, you really need to be in the schools. I’m going to get us in the schools. You have the uniforms and the power to do it. And-- I’m being--I’m being funny. You have--you have that reputation, and they will listen to you. As somebody who’s in an agency that’s just starting off, and especially when I first--when I first started doing public speaking I was--I was in high school. Um, but when TG Innerselves first received funding I mean I was still in my first year of university, I was younger, and people didn’t take me seriously. People were not sure, you know, who this TG Innerselves program is, and what it is that we really stand for. So being able to have the police, after we trained all of them, say, look, this is a great resource, use it, it helped give us that credibility.
Tara: Some legitimacy.
Vincent: Yes, exactly. Exactly. So for us, um, for most schools it hasn’t been an issue getting in. I just go to--because usually the social worker at the school, or the guidance counsellor, or a teacher at the school who calls me and says, “Hey Vincent, I would love for you to come in and speak to this student.” So when I go to sign in, they know I’m coming, or they know who I am.
Tara: Right. Right.
Vincent: So that hasn’t been an issue.
Tara: Okay.
Vincent: I haven’t experienced any resistance, although there’s one particular school, and it just turns out that the principal there is the one that was my principal.
Tara: Wow. Because you grew up in Sudbury.
Vincent: Who gave me--yah. Who gave me a hell of a time. Um, that particular school has been really hard to get into.
Tara: Yes.
Vincent: And what’s sad about it is, it comes often from the top down.
Tara: Right.
Vincent: So if you have that resistance at the top it’s really hard to--to reach the students in that school. So I‘ve been working at trying to get an in with other people who work within that school.
Tara: Right.
Vincent: And, um, hoping that - at the end of the day I mean I don’t care if there are people within the administration who don’t personally like me, it’s about the kids.
Tara: Right.
Vincent: So, there’s always a way in.