Vancouver Foundation

To support innovative community projects like this, call Calvin in Donor Services at 604.629.5357, or visit vancouverfoundation.ca/give. F a l l 2 0 1 6 I V a n c o u v e r F o u n d a t i o n l p a g e 1 1 VIU Professor Joanne Falvai addiction was his 16-year-old daughter Daylin, who lives in New York State. "I want to be around for her. at's why I went to Guthrie and the course was just that extra push to change my life." Derosier was so committed to change that he opted to enroll in the course instead of applying for early parole. "I was nervous," he recalls, "but I was ready for it." Derosier earned As, and the class was an empowering experi- ence that revealed his potential, Falvai says. He devoured books, including In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Gabor Mate's wide- ranging look at addiction. On weekends, he and the Inside stu- dents organized study sessions. Wong, a self-described introvert, attributes some of his reserve to a less-than-ideal childhood. "I can only recall a few occasions where we were all genuinely happy to be with each other. My parents fought a lot. Money came and went, but it was the latter I remember the most. When I was in high school, they divorced and my mom worked three jobs to put food on the table." Unaccustomed to sharing his feelings, Wong, who had pre- viously studied criminal justice at Victoria's Camosun College, was initially unsure about taking the Inside-Out course. "Applying for Inside-Out was the most terrifying decision I have ever made. I'm not a very outgoing person, and I was never par- ticularly keen to participate in group work, so I just didn't think I would be able to offer anything to the class. Ultimately, I made my decision based on the fact that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I wanted to take a risk." He recalls that when the "super-loud, super-outgoing [Inside] guys" walked into the classroom, he decided there was no turn- ing back. "e thing I enjoyed the most about the class was that half-way through we would always have a break and have an opportunity just to chat and get to know one another. It gave us the opportunity to chip away at the social barriers that separated us. It didn't take long before I began to see the residents as peo- ple more similar to myself than different," Wong says. He also realized that he wasn't ready for policing. "I'd never had experi- ence dealing with homelessness, addictions, mental health." Inspired by the class, Wong recently applied to be a correc- tions officer at the NCC. He intends to pursue his policing dream with the RCMP or Victoria Police Department after get- ting more real-life experience. "Being a police officer is such a huge responsibility," he says. Derosier was released from the NCC in June 2016 and cele- brated one year of being drug-free later that summer. He says it was important for the Outside students to understand that "ware- housing" people in jail doesn't work. "ey get out, only knowing what they learned before," he says, adding that the counselling and support he got at Guthrie House and through the Inside-Out Program, and his lasting relationship with Falvai and McLin have been huge benefits. Now he wants to study social work at VIU, to help others get a second chance like he was given. Vancouver Foundation's $30,000 has in effect laid a corner- stone of what could be a framework that turns neglected talent and abilities into success. "My great hope is that we can continue to build a bridge from the prison to the university. It took so little to create community for Ian," says Falvai. "No matter what the exclusions—crime, addictions, poverty, disability, mental illness—we all want to belong."

• Cover