Dare to Dream: Instilling pride and hope for the future for Aboriginal children
Too often the stories that you read about Aboriginal youth are sad. But I have a happy and inspiring story to tell about some very special Aboriginal children and some amazing lawyer and law student volunteers and mentors.
On December 6th, Canadian Lawyers Abroad's Dare to Dream program was put into action with a mock trial featuring the grade 7 and 8 students at the First Nations School of Toronto. Dare to Dream is an innovative program that provides Aboriginal students with meaningful opportunities to interact with law students and lawyers who serve as role models and mentors, help increase their knowledge about law and justice issues, and help them dream of finishing high school and achieving their career ambitions.
Too often the stories that you read about Aboriginal youth are sad. But I have a happy and inspiring story to tell about some very special Aboriginal children and some amazing lawyer and law student volunteers and mentors.
On December 6th, Canadian Lawyers Abroad's Dare to Dream program was put into action with a mock trial featuring the grade 7 and 8 students at the First Nations School of Toronto. Dare to Dream is an innovative program that provides Aboriginal students with meaningful opportunities to interact with law students and lawyers who serve as role models and mentors, help increase their knowledge about law and justice issues, and help them dream of finishing high school and achieving their career ambitions.
The students spent two months preparing for the trial with over a dozen volunteer Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal lawyers and law students coming from a variety of firms and companies including in-house lawyers from GE Capital, lawyers from McMillan Binch LLP, Blake Cassels and Graydon LLP, and Benson Percival Brown LLP and the Aboriginal law firm Olthius, Kleer Townshend LLP, as well as from the Law Society of Upper Canada, Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
The trial was unique with the alleged assault taking place in an area near the school and the student witnesses had the option of swearing on an Eagle Feather. Justice Harry LaForme, the only Aboriginal judge at an appelate level, presided over the trial.
It is not overstating it to say that it was an inspiring experience for the students, the lawyers, and for me!
The defence team
After the mock trial, Lisa Zwicker, the Principal of the First Nations School of Toronto, told Canadian Lawyers Abroad that "(t)he mock trial made me so proud of our students and so happy that the opportunity to participate in the Dare to Dream project came to us."
Sharla Niroopan, their amazing teacher, spoke about how the students changed from being skeptical about the program to being inspired by it: “They were like, ‘Screw law, screw the cops.’ Now, they have created so many bonds with the lawyers. … They have connected with mentors.” A number of the students, including defense counsel Nyame Outten-Joseph (age 12), are now interested in a legal career. Nyame told a reporter from the Globe and Mail afterwards that he liked the idea of becoming a lawyer because “(y)ou get to put people in jail if they deserve it. And if they don’t, you get to defend people and their human rights.”
But the impact extended well beyond the students. In a discussion that Justice LaForme had with the students after the trial ended, he emphasized that the children instilled in him tremendous pride and hope as they represented the present and the future for Aboriginal people.
Justice LaForme with defence witness Troy Yellowhorse (holding an Eagle Feather)
And the volunteer lawyers and law students all felt that they had made a valuable contribution and had learned a lot from their experience. Jen Guerard, Senior Counsel with GE Capital Americas and one of the volunteer lawyers, emphasized: "Working with the children at the First Nations School has been very rewarding. And, through Dare to Dream, I've learned a lot about Aboriginal culture and the challenges facing Aboriginal people."
Students from the First Nations School of Toronto with their teacher Sharla Niroopan, Justice LaForme, and the volunteer lawyers
When we worked hard to develop Dare to Dream, I don't think we realized what an impact it would have on the students and the school, on the volunteer lawyers and on Justice LaForme. It made us realize how important it is for all of us to learn from each other and to work together. One of the great benefits of Dare to Dream beyond inspiring the children who participate and making them proud to be Aboriginal is reaching non-Aboriginal lawyers and making them more aware about Aboriginal culture and issues. They then bring a new perspective back to their firms, companies and to their friends and colleagues. This makes a difference and makes me hopeful for the future.
You can read more about the mock trial and see some amazing action shots in a Globe and Mail article here.
The Toronto Pilot of Dare to Dream will continue throughout the school year with new activities including a sentencing circle, a courthouse trip and a visit to McMillan LLP. A Calgary pilot of Dare to Dream will launch in the new year. We hope to be able to eventually extend the program across the country.
Please join us in using law to improve lives through programs like Dare to Dream by making a contribution to Canadian Lawyers Abroad or by donating Aeroplan miles to our charitable pooling account.
From everyone at Canadian Lawyers Abroad, we wish you the best for the holidays and for a happy and peaceful 2013.
Catherine