RCMP uses students’ artwork in program
Port aux Basques initiative encourages motorists to drive safely
“Knowing that it came from a child, we should all stop and take a second look and a second glance and reflect and make sure that we’re all being safe for everybody.” Denise Francis St. James Elementary School principal
The Port aux Basques RCMP is going to hand out some artwork over the next few weeks.
And yes, you read that right — artwork, not tickets, unless, of course, you’ve broken the law.
It’s part of a road-safety program called Operation Think of Me (TOM), which appeals to motorists to exercise caution while driving, particularly in areas where children may be. The message will be delivered in the form of artwork created by students in the Codroy Valley, Port aux Basques and Burnt Islands areas.
The program was cocreated in 2014 by Cpl. Colin Helm, a 14-year member of the force who has been in Port aux Basques for just over two years. It has been used in Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, but this is a first for Newfoundland.
Helm said traffic violations happen everywhere and the goal was to come up with a way to decrease those violations.
“But we wanted to do something that would impact the community,” he said.
The idea they came up with is children telling drivers about or showing drivers their actions through art.
“Rather than take youth to the side of the road, we came up with this program together to educate children on road safety, but at the same time let them educate the general public on road safety,” Helm said.
Children will take what they learn and draw posters with a road-safety message.
Helm said the RCMP usually goes into schools to talk with kids, but with the COVID-19 pandemic they’ve had teachers share the message instead and enlist children to complete drawings, which are submitted anonymously.
The program started in the southwest coast town on Thursday and will continue throughout the month. When police set up road stops, they will talk to drivers about safe driving and give them one of the drawings. The messages on the drawings cover everything from drunk driving to speeding and texting.
Many of the couple of hundred drawings the RCMP will hand out were drawn by students at St. James Elementary in Port aux Basques.
Principal Denise Francis said the school has a good system for entering and leaving its parking lot, but there can be issues with speeders on the main road.
“Most of the time our children are safe, but you just never know sometimes when someone might just dart after a ball or see something that they want to explore and, without knowing, put themselves in harm’s way.”
Helm said the artwork has been well received in other areas, and it does make a difference with drivers.
Francis says it will help here, too.
“Knowing that it came from a child, we should all stop and take a second look and a second glance and reflect and make sure that we’re all being safe for everybody,” she said.