By Angela Hill

Oh SNAP, program helps youth make better decisions

Mar 18, 2011 | 9:14 AM

Kids have learned better decision making thanks to the SNAP program.

The Stop Now And Plan program is a partnership between Prince Albert Métis Women and Westview Community School addressing issues of aggressive children and at-risk children.

“We’ve seen a big impact at recess time and during unstructured time,” said Mona Markwart, principal at Westview.

SNAP works with both children and their families.

“Our program is for younger children … one of the unique components of the SNAP program is that is encompasses the entire family,” said Noreen McBride, a director with Prince Albert Métis Women.

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The federal government recently announced funding they gave the organization last July.

The funding allowed the program to get underway by getting staff members trained, said McBride.

“We are having great success with Westview right now.”

The school identifies students and families who could use the support of the program — the SNAP staff meets with the youth and decides their eligibility. They then participate in weekly SNAP sessions.

Everyone uses the same language, parents, teachers and the kids.

“So it’s like a triangular effect where everybody is on the same page. So it’s helped the children immensely to make the right choices,” Markwart said.

“It helps them build strategies to stop and plan to make the right choices.”

She says she sees kids making better decisions and if they make a mistake they understand the consequences.

“It’s also helped them plan their actions and what they need to do next time.”

This program is part of the getting tough on crime policy, said Prince Albert MP, Randy Hoback.

“One part of that is the sentencing and punishment side of it and rehabilitation side and the side is the prevention effort,” he said.

“That’s what the Métis women are doing, they are trying to intercept these kids before they get into the cycle of crime.”

He said he doesn’t know why the funding was announced so late.

This funding is not related to the recently renewed Youth Gang Prevention Fund, which provided money to Warrior Spirit Walking, Prince Albert Youth Outreach’s anti-gang strategy.

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