A group of high school kids have given up their spring break to become youth recruits for the Edmonton Police Service. The program aims to teach young people about careers in law enforcement.
About 40 youth took part in fitness training, saw presentations from various police units and completed volunteer work in the community this week.
“So this is a great way to take four days, really jam packed with activity and they’ll get a really good feel of whether it’s a career that they want after high school, something they want to pursue, or whether it’s not for them,” Maeda said.
About 120 high school students applied for the program through their school resource officer, 40 were then selected to take part.
Student Sofia Calderon said the presentations gave them realistic expectations about the force.
“Yes, there are struggles, many bumps and rough edges to the whole career,” Calderon said. “But in the end, when you have a team to back you up it’s really rewarding.”
At the end of Day 4, the youth recruits practiced marching drills and then took part in a graduation ceremony.