Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 26/99) - As more violent acts are committed by youth in communities across North America, young people themselves are fighting back.

A group of Yellowknife youth say peer pressure can work both ways, and acts of violence aren't cool. Robert Wentland is a Yk youth with a rough history. He is also a young man who has changed his ways.

"I see it all the time -- I see teen violence regularly," Wentland said. "Personally, I've been involved in some stupid things and there was no point to it. You get to the point where you say to yourself, 'this is stupid.'"

He said there are kids he knows who roam around looking to pick fights with drunks, or other teens "for fun."

"There's not a lot for us to do in Yellowknife, so many turn to drugs and alcohol. Once you're under the influence, pretty much anything can be fun," Wentland said.

"Sometimes, fun to them means taking a baseball bat and smoking someone with it."

After some soul searching, Wentland took stock of his life and made some changes.

"I learned that we can find safe environments where nobody gets hurt and nothing gets destroyed -- and at the same time we get more out of the experience," Wentland said.

"I have lots of regrets and now I'm trying to fix my wrongs."

Yellowknife high school students, Holly Regel and Nancy MacNeill, say Wentland's aversion to violence is spreading among youth. They also said now is the time to bridge the gap between youths and adults to ensure the trend continues.

"We're working towards showing adults that the majority of youth are not that bad. We feel if we can bridge the gaps between the age groups, then we'll feel more empowered as teenagers," Regel said.

"We don't have to feel little, we don't have to feel like we're being watched. It's a lot about respect," she said. "Most of the youth in Yellowknife have earned respect by taking the initiative to demonstrate maturity. That's what we're trying to show people."

Because both Regel and MacNeill are active in Storefront's Youth Volunteer Corp, they were asked to attend Resolve It, a national youth violence forum in Ottawa.

"Society has to realize that youth in general don't present a danger and that getting along with anybody involves a lot of open mindedness by both parties," Regel said.

MacNeill said that dismissing all teenagers as "bad" is a generalization that hurts all young people.

"Sometimes, actions that aren't meant to harm, can start a chain of events that turn into something severe and harmful," MacNeill said. "It's not an excuse for violent behaviour but I'd say you have to understand where the event came from."

Both students say they feel safe in school, but admit their positive personalities have a lot to do with it.

"There are many of us who have seen friends get hurt, so there's a lot of people looking out for the common good. There's a lot of people who don't want to see fights because they've seen what it can do," MacNeill said.

"The resolution of problems requires a common respect between any parties that are facing a potentially violent situation. There can be no double standard."