4th Annual IMPACT Youth Forum

On Saturday, January 13, 2024, Durham Regional Police Service’s Youth in Policing (YIP) cohort hosted its 4th Annual IMPACT Youth Forum.

This forum aimed to Inspire, Motivate, Persevere, Act, Create, and Transcend (IMPACT) young minds. This year’s event focused on the theme 'Act' and was designed to strengthen the attendees’ ability to take the first step even when obstacles arise.

The event had more than 160 participants at the Abilities Centre and another 80 who took part virtually in various team-building and networking activities such as crime prevention scenarios, four keynote speakers, and interactive fundraising to give back to the community.

DRPS Chief of Police, Peter Moreira, kicked off the event with  opening remarks, where he emphasized the importance of taking action. Following that, keynote presentations by Sunjay Nath and De-Mario Knowles started the day off with powerful speeches that were inspiring and encouraged the youth to have a positive outlook and to take the lead to create change.

The afternoon included empowering workshops from Mike Shoreman and Tracy Schmitt as they highlighted the importance of strength and taking action to achieve your goals. Their inspiring journeys of overcoming the odds resonated with the audience and will have a lasting impact.

Thank you again to all attendees and to the DRPS Youth in Policing Team, including Program Coordinator Jeevika Selvakumar, Supervising Team Leader Aditdi Senthil Kumar, and Team Leaders Harnoor Sagar and Daniyal Naqvi.

If you are interested in joining our YIP program,  applications for the YIP 2024 Summer Initiative are now open; be sure to check out www.drps.ca/yip for more information. The YIP team can be contacted via email (youthinpolicing@drps.ca), phone (1-888-579-1520 x4386), or social media (@drps_yip).