Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/740502
p a g e 1 0 I V a n c o u v e r F o u n d a t i o n l F a l l 2 0 1 6 For several years, she'd been taking her criminology students to Guthrie House erapeutic Community program at the NCC. ere, 40 male inmates get strong support to help con- quer their addictions. Sitting in a circle of interaction, students and residents shed tears, inhibitions and misconceptions as the students got raw insight into the causes of addiction and crime. "e students would be so moved by their time there. It was the highlight of their degree," says Falvai, 41, who has been teaching criminology at VIU for 15 years. She saw Inside-Out as a way that she could expand the brief but impactful encounters her students experienced at Guthrie House. Over three months, Falvai and fellow VIU criminal justice professor Elizabeth McLin developed curriculum that included group discussion, written reflections, activities and plenty of read- ing. By fall 2015, Falvai applied for a grant from Vancouver Foundation and was awarded $30,000 over three years, to fund the program's operating costs. Now, VIU is one of seven Canadian universities to offer the program. Vancouver Foundation's support meant much to Falvai. As a criminologist, she frequently feels as though she's fighting an uphill battle because people can be quick to dismiss efforts to transform the lives of incarcerated men and women. She says the assistance from Vancouver Foundation sent the Inside students a new mes- sage: you are worthy, you can change your life. "e grant also made the Outside students feel validated because it meant that other people believed in what we were doing, that others also believed that transformation through education was possible." On the first day of the class, both groups—15 Guthrie House students, and 16 VIU students—sat down together with an air of anticipation. "It was like a middle-school dance. e energy, the volume, just skyrocketed," Falvai recalls. One of those Guthrie House students was Desrosier, who was born and raised in Ontario. From 1992 to 2002, he lived in the U.S. en he moved to B.C., where he spent years in and out of jail for offenses including theft and breaking and entering, crimes that paid for his heroin and amphetamine use. "I was in and out of addictions for a long time," he says. "I made poor choices. When I was arrested in 2015, I thought, I'm getting too old for this. I was sick of the life, where it was taking me." Also contributing to Derosier's decision to overcome —Kevin Wong After talking to guys like Ian, you learn about their struggles. You get more empathy, compassion. " "