94 - Sunday, April 25, 1993 - North Shore News Teens have positive IN EARLY December, senior stu- dents at Carson Graham second- ary school were introduced to a new way of having fun on weekends. By Mark Korytowski Contributing Writer The Friday Night Jive (FNL) youth program was presented to students during an audio-visual demonstration. In March, students experienced the benefits of the program first-hand. About 60 teenagers came to a dance organized by the local FNL committee at the North Shore Winter Club. It was the first ever FNL event of in Canada. “Nobody had any complaints about it,’’ said Andre Ver, the club’s student president. ‘It was actually one of the best times 1 ever had.”’ Said Mercedos Thayson, 16, “We had a lot of fun. It was great. The music was pretty good and the people were cool.’’ North Vancouver City Mayor Jack Loucks supports the student initiative. “This is a giant step in the right direction,’? he said. ‘‘Finally someone is doing something im- portant to help the teens help each other, instead of just giving lip- service to their problems.’’ Ver said the club is popular at Carson Graham, “The things we are trying to ‘eliminate are drugs, alcohol, pre- judice, racism, violence and peer pressure,’’ he said. ... The club offers dances on Fri- da;s and weekend activities such * as tock climbing and sky diving. The Carson Graham chapter also plans to introduce a counsel- ling service for teenagers with alcohol or drug problems. Cave 50%: SUSHI HAPPY “tt’s teens talking to teens, which could make them more comfortable than speaking to adults,” he said. Ver and FNL promoter Stuart Spani have a goal to expand the program to 115 secondary schools in B.C. and eventually throughout all of Canada. “We could have activities with different schools. One week we could have a dance at Carson, the next week some activity at another school,’* said Ver. “This way we could have some- thing gcing on every Friday. And people could go to other schools and mect different people,’? he added. Spani thinks the FNL concept will be a success in Canada. “The March dance was a suc- cess. Every kid there said it was EB IWS oS KENNY G. the best party they had ever been to,”’ he said. ‘‘Friday Night Live is a way of life, of having fun without booze or drugs.”’ The club was founded in California and has had immense impact there. FNL is represented in 60% of secondary schools there and 25% of the students are members. Within the jast four years, FNL has helped to reduce the rate of death in cars by teens driving under the influence of alcohol by 60%. “I think we can match those results - here in B.C. and in Canada,” Spani said. The North Shore community is responsive to the club although some obstacles still remain to be overcome. “We need more coordination with schools,’’ said Ver. ‘Our Breathless BRUCE HORNSBY | Harbour Lights BAARCUS ROBERTS | IF Could Be With You JOHN PIZZARELLI Naturally TZ 20 Your choice ROCKAPELS Where in the World lis Carmen Sandiego OLSEN TWINS Brother For Sale JACK GRUNSKY Waves of Wonder "grates fl Bea PAVAROMTI Pevarotti & Friends 14°: Original Broadway Cast 2 CD SET NARA fun through dance was delayed because we didn’t get proper authority from our school. We went to the school board and they were OK with it, but then we had problems with our principal who knew nothing about the (school board) decision. So we weren’t allowed to an- nounce the dance publicly.’’ Plans are in the making for a bigger party, involving more schools. “We plan for up to 1,000 peo- ple to come. We rent a big hall and will be sponsored by a radio station,’’ he said. Spani said local business spon- sors are still needed. “We feel strongly that this type of program should be supported by the private sector. They know there are problems out there and so far they love to try to help,’’ Spani said. “We are also still looking for more sponsors and for parents who are interested in helping the kids have a good time,’’ he added. HAIR DESIGN ppoees Perms from $35 Cuts from $25 103 E. 14th St. N.Van. PREMIER COLLECTION The Original Recordings 132 DA. COLLECTION ze) | MARADA ARTISTS BRICHAEL JONES Narada Collection Vol. 1 Kee Michael's Music 132 SHELDON FUROGWITZ Colubus & the Age of Discovery HARADA ARTISTS | Narada Collection Vol. 3 Narvada Collection Vol. 4 HANS ZIPMRER Mileniam - Tribal Wisdom | Your 7 Luo choice ea. 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