Back in December, Kenyon Lee, a Grade 12 Lambrick Park Secondary student, met retired Saanich police officer Kim Basi in her school library and after a 15-minute conversation she walked out of the room smiling. Lee had decided to attend police camp when it returned in March.
Lee, like many of the 46 kids who attended, thought it was a great experience.
“As a student, it’s important to learn that police officers are in our community and there to help … Why can’t we learn how to work with them and build better relationships?”
Police camp, which is offered to high school students throughout the region during spring break, is one of the many programs the Greater Victoria Police Foundation (GVPF) will fund.
The camp originally ran from 1996 to 2013. Due to GVPF’s funding, the camp was able to return in 2023 after a 10-year hiatus. When police camp returns in 2024, it will take place over the course of eight days in March with the goal of having 50 students in a team-based environment. The camp is delivered by police and reserve officers as well as other officials and will include physical training, activity challenges, drill instruction, exploration of social responsibility, and a mix of classroom lectures covering leadership and public safety topics.
GVPF officially launched Friday (Oct. 6). The non-profit foundation’s mission is to “build healthier communities through programs and mentorship aimed at nurturing good citizenship, positive relationships and leadership development amongst our youth,” according to the board chair Robert Jawl.
The goal is to fund community programs in Victoria, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Saanich and Central Saanich, as well as regional Indigenous communities, that are “outside of the core regional police budgets,” GVPF said in a statement.
“Our officers are respected as community leaders and as everyday heroes,” said Victoria Police Chief Del Manak. “They give freely of themselves and they really do make a positive impact on the lives of so many, including any of our youth and for these reasons and many others, I cannot think of better role models for our young people.”
A scholarship program through Camosun College was also established through GVPF. The program will recognize four students across Greater Victoria studying in the fields of criminal justice and mental health and additions. The four who are picked will have had to demonstrate a strong commitment to volunteerism, leadership and mentorship within their community.
GVPF has also funded a mentorship program designed to facilitate trust-based connections between youth and regional officers that will run six to 12 times a year.
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