A lot of enthusiasm, a belief in the value of youth and that caring people working together make a difference all form the foundation of Sunshine Coast RCMP Const. Spencer Mylymok's role as youth liaison officer. "I'm a resource for the students first and foremost," said Mylymok about the work he does in schools and throughout the Sunshine Coast. Being a resource for students is a layered job, Mylymok said, because it also means being a resource to parents, teachers, community members, youth service providers, local governments and the school district. Mylymok said these relationships mean youth on the Coast benefit from the networking that goes on behind the scenes between these various groups and the supports they can provide for youth.Backing youth in being safe or helping them out of harmful, unsafe situations often means being there to provide parents with help, information and links to other resources, Mylymok said. "[Parents] approach me because they have an issue with a son or daughter and they don't know what to do, and I can point them in the right direction."
For example, if it's a case where the parent has found their child is doing drugs or they've found drugs in their son/daughter's things, he can advise parents on legal advice, resources for the types of drugs found and the options available for both the youth and the parents. Just because a parent or an adult contacts him about a youth doing drugs doesn't mean there are going to be charges, even if there is an arrest, he added.
There are all sorts of ways to help a youth in this type of situation, and each situation is different, he said. "What can happen when there is an arrest but no charges is that the youth can be provided with community support such as youth justice forums, alternative measures, restorative justice options and so forth. More often than not, these methods of helping a youth deal with drug/alcohol problems are effective because the youth is "buying into" the process, getting the help they might need, and at the same time avoiding a criminal conviction.
"What makes my job successful is the team I have here -the resources I can lean on," he said.
Those internal RCMP resources include the General Investigative Services, officers who specialize in sexual assaults and general duty members.
"These guys [RCMP] are just as important as the connections in the community, from the school superintendent to counsellors to the school maintenance staff. Without them, I couldn't have the success I have," said Mylymok. Mylymok is also active in teaching the DARE program.
He said although there are some detractors of DARE, the program is about talking honestly with youth and giving them straight information so they have the ability to make healthier decisions. The hard thing about assessing preventative programs is the fact they are preventative, he said.
If a young person uses the information to keep himself or herself safe, then they don't get into trouble; they aren't a number or a statistic to be counted.
Besides talking about drugs and alcohol, the DARE program also has an anti-bullying component, one that Mylymok said he will be delivering to youth in February.
