Report on the Launch of the
Children
& Prisons Resource Kit for Teachers to use in the
Classroom
November 20th, 2006
The Launch took place in the Teacher Resource Centre,
McArthur Hall, Queen's Faculty of Education, on November
20th, 2006, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. 25 people were present to
hear the Rev. Canon Chris Carr speak about "Families of
Inmates: Innocent Victims and Hope for the Future".
Reverend Carr was a founding member of CFCN (Canadian
Families and Corrections) and is the retired
Director-General/Chaplaincy for Corrections Canada.
Attendees:
CVP Directors: Joyce Waddell-Townsend,* Louann den Otter*,
Gord Boulton*, Lyn Pydyn*
CVP Members: Francoise Bessette*, Mandi Crowder*, Donna
Gannon-Harris*; Queen's Faculty of Education: Dean
Bruno-Jofre; Donna Lynch, Teacher Resource Centre
Librarian; Faculty of Education librarians, Brenda Reed and
Cory Laverty; Member of planning committee: Margie Ann
McKinnon, Catholic Archdiocese; St.Lawrence College staff
and students: M.A. Zelenka, Wendy Mitchell, Meghan Clarke,
Danielle Boylan, Deanna Asselstine, Jen Bock, Pehley
McCarthy, Jen Maddern
Other: Glen Stresman, Kingston Community Foundation; Elaine
Harvey, CFUW; Francine LeBlanc, teacher; Morris den Otter;
Rev. Chris Carr, CFCN; Lisa Beattie, criminologist; and
Scott Seattle (Law student)
(* indicates CVP Members)
Opening Remarks:
Joyce
Waddell-Townsend, Chair, Children Visiting Prisons-Kingston
Inc., welcomed everyone. She gave a short history of
CVP-Kingston and outlined the purpose of the kit, to raise
awareness in the classroom and in the community about the
challenges that face children of inmates. Samples of the
resources for the three kits (two Primary/Junior and one
Intermediate/Senior) were on display and one of the latter
was checked out at the end of the evening. Joyce also gave
an outline of the cost of the kits ($1,200.00) and thanked
the Dean of Education, the Kingston Community Foundation
and all others who had contributed to meeting these
expenses.
She then introduced the speaker, the Rev. Canon Chris Carr.
His true life examples of the impact of crime on the
families of inmates and the importance of community
acceptance and support for them was most moving, especially
in the context of National Child Day and Restorative
Justice Week.
Further
Information:
About Resource
kit contents: http://www.library.queensu.ca/webtrc
Prepared November 27, 2006 by Joyce
Waddell-Townsend
