Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jun 16/00) - Concerned groups met Tuesday to discuss the issue of customers, businesses and youth respectfully co-existing in city malls.

The meeting, held at City Hall, was the fourth in a series meant to look at the issue and find solutions. The workshop was run by a facilitator and included education groups, students, business representatives as well as health and social services officials.

"What we wanted to do was broaden conversation and see what other elements of a solution we could come up with," explained facilitator Rosemary Cairns.

Mall and business representatives said the majority of problems arise from some youth showing disrespect to them and their customers. They told the group they want to be able to deal with youth respectfully, since they see them as future clientele.

The educators said many of the problem youth are dropouts, between the ages of 19 and 23, but some are as young as nine years old.

Michele Thoms, a St. Patrick's high school teacher, spoke on behalf of the youth, saying they also receive a lack of respect from some business owners.

"I have been witness to extreme disrespect toward my students," she said. "I think there's a mutual respect problem."

And according to many youth, the reason malls are attractive to them is because there is really no alternative.

"The reason I can see why most people hang out there is because there's nothing better to do and there's not that many rules there compared to places like home and at school. That's a place for them to escape," said Candace Underhay, a Grade 10 student from St. Patrick's high school who attended the meeting.

"We need things to do and then maybe they could go where they don't feel as pressured as they do at home or at school."

The meeting of the group, which is a sub-committee of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce's Education Committee, resulted in some ideas to remedy the problem.

The Chamber of Commerce is prepared to organize a course this summer, co-ordinated by teachers, on human relations and how to relate to youth. This course would be available to mall security and businesspeople.

"Even since we started these meetings (earlier this year) we've seen dramatic improvements," explained former chamber president and chair of its education committee Gordon Van Tighem.

Schools have also decided to scrap the late entry program, making it compulsory for all students to start school and 8:30 a.m.

There is also development of alternative schooling in which dropouts can attempt to receive their schooling by other methods such as correspondence.

Another idea presented at the meeting included the option of a youth-operated coffee shop, for which businesses may put together seed money.

The sub-committee will reconvene this fall and will be looking to get more people involved, including parents.