Edmonton police program aims to help kids put their best foot forward
Edmonton police have just wrapped up this summer's program that partners with youth on a shopping excursion to get them prepared for the new school year.
Operation Sole aims to 'bridge the gap' between students and officers with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), said interim chief of community safety and well-being Warren Driechel.
'There's that lack of trust, because they might hear stories about the police, right? And it's just, unfortunately, the stigma, the aura of police in our community,' Driechel said.
Friday marked the last day of the Oskayak program, what Driechel calls a 'special Operation Sole,' that focuses on relationships with Indigenous students. Oskayak is the Cree word for youth.
Officers and students took to West Edmonton Mall to buy shoes at FootLocker. Driechel said the shopping trips are funded through the Edmonton Police Foundation and meant to prepare students for their next step.
'Part of it is to expose them to policing,' he said. 'We find, actually, a lot of those youth have an interest in becoming police officers.'
It's been 10 years since EPS launched the two-week program. It's free of charge for self-identified Indigenous youth between grades 10 and 12.
'Honestly, it really shows that outside of policing, that officers are just people trying to do their job,' said Legacy Omeaso, a student on the trip.
'It's been 40 odd plus years since I was a teenager and the world's changed, right? So understanding those things is great for us, because I don't think we really understand the challenges of youth today,' Driechel said.
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