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oo oe NEW: SE SINS WEDNESDAS DECEMBER 31, 2003 Internationally recognized, traditional Japanese Karate skills Beginner classes are starting now January Karate Open House & Registration Saturday January 10th 2-4pm at the Rockmosa Library ~ For information call Dojo Instructor Donna MacDonald at: Tel: 519-856-2058 Youth make a difference Halton Regional Youth Advisory Committee, working with Trinity Theatre Studio, used drama and theatre arts to present the topic of youth advocacy in an energetic and creative way. The youth were given an intro- duction to the responsibilities of munici- pal and regional governments. HRYAC in- troduced youth to the tools needed to effectively influ- ence decision makers and showed them how to apply these tools to the process of an advocacy campaign. Complementing the morning session on the workings of local govern- ments, Regional Chairman Joyce Savoline and Dr. Nosal, spoke about the im- portance of youth involvement in the com- munity, and expressed their support for youth ini- tiatives in Halton. A workshop session gave youth the opportunity to identify and solve a problem in their community that af- fects youth. In groups, they followed the process for ef- fective advocacy by having a meeting in which they de- veloped ideas on how to build public support, work ght "Grow-Ops"... Continued 'from page 5 Often recent immi- grants, they are exposed. to health and safety risks and physical violence as- sociated with 'these | operations. * Ontario's" strained - electricity sector may have lost $85 million to ~ illegal electricity theft associated with grow ops - 85 per cent of the esti- mated $100 million _ economic cost to the pro- ' a economy. -- : * The likelihood of a in a grow op dwell- ing may be as much as 40 times greater than in a regular household. * Grow operations are increasingly found near schools and residential neighborhoods. In York, Peel and Waterloo re- gions combined, 17 per cent of grow ops were within 500 metres of a primary or secondary school. THE NEW. TANNER - (519) 853-0051 "gues. All with the media, and influ- ence decision makers. Groups then presented their proposal in a simulated council meeting. The afternoon consisted of two skill building ses- sions led by Trinity Theatre Studio and To- ronto Youth Cabinet facilitators. The sessions provided the delegates with the skills to build a positive image for youth, as well as how to encour- age youth inclusion. The Halton Regional Youth Advisory Committee is a group of young people that acts as the voice for youth in Halton. HRYAC identi- fies issues affecting youth and develops strategies to bring these issues to the at- tention of regional government. One of the tools that HRYAC uses to find out what matters to youth is their Web site, www.haltonyouth.com. The site provides a place where youth are listened to when they express their opinion on important is- youth are encouraged to check out the site to find relevant, youth approved informa- tion on health, education, the law, transportation, employment, housing, re- lationships, social justice, culture, and diversity. n = appointments availabl , "Take care of your smile. Come visit a while" 372 Queen St. E. Acton,ON L7J 2Y5 853-1 300