From the outside, the Streetfront program portable is nothing spectacular. It’s a grubby brown colour with some artwork painted on to add personality. On the inside, however, you can tell it’s no ordinary classroom. Shelves piled with outdoor equipment line the walls. Photos of students and community members having adventures of a lifetime are hung with care. The photos are a reminder of how far they have come together and an inspiration that fuels future adventures.
The Streetfront program is an alternative education program in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Since its founding in 1977, the program has centred on an active-based pedagogy with many opportunities for students to engage in physical activities and outdoor experiential education.
While students are given an opportunity to explore a variety of sports in the physical education curriculum, what sets Streetfront apart is its unique running program. Streetfront is proud to be home to the largest team of high school marathoners in the world.
The students coming into the Streetfront program are not elite athletes when they arrive. Instead, they train tirelessly together every day to accomplish their goal of finishing a marathon. Many of the students are living through significant personal and family challenges and are in the program because they have experienced disruption to their education. Many have been marginalized by the very systems meant to support them. The running program helps them see just how much they are capable of and learn skills that are transferable to other areas of their lives. Gord Howey, Barry Skillin, and Trevor Stokes, respectively the youth and family worker, support staff, and classroom teacher at Streetfront, have spent the last 20 years building students’ confidence through the running program.
“A marathon is a perfect metaphor for what we try to teach the kids,” said Trevor. “The only way to get the marathon done is to do it yourself. You have to persevere. In the moment, it can feel like it’s too much, but with support, they have the strength to get through.”
When they first started running mara-thons, they had very few people waiting at the finish line to applaud students’ accomplishments. However, as the program has grown, and alumni return year after year to support the current cohort, the group of supporters has grown. They’ve also had more buy-in from families as parents see their kids working hard to reach a goal. Some parents start running with their kids, others do what they can to make sure their kids are getting to school each day, and many wait at the finish line to cheer for the Streetfront team. Engagement from families and students, including attendance, has improved drastically with the running program.
“They say it takes a community to raise a child, but we’ve seen the reverse here,” said Barry. “You support the child, and the effects trickle out into the community. It goes beyond just one student and impacts the whole family.”
Gord, Barry, and Trevor also challenge their students in other ways throughout the school year. In addition to the regular academic classes at Streetfront, students participate in outdoor education where they take on challenging hikes, camping trips, and other outdoor adventures.
As the outdoor program grew, the team had an idea for a new project called Street2Peak. The goal of Street2Peak is to visit five continents with students and complete a challenging outdoor adventure on each continent. So far, the group has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, completed the W Trek in Patagonia, and hiked the Rees-Dart Track and Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand.
The Streetfront program receives no additional funding for their adventures with students. Instead, the program is funded by donors who see the team complete marathons and see the impact Gord, Barry, and Trevor have on students and families in the Downtown Eastside.
“If you wait for the system to create something, you’ll wait forever,” said Barry. “You have to hustle and create opportunities.”
For some students, the opportunity to take a trip through Streetfront is life changing.
“The farthest I’ve gone was Seattle. To land and get off a plane when I’m a little city girl from East Van…it was crazy. It was really amazing,” shared former student Savannah Dawson, who was a part of the team to climb Kilimanjaro.1
It’s a rigorous training process to prepare for the hikes and marathons. This training builds strong collegiality among the students and staff. Gord, Barry, and Trevor see every student as strong, capable, and full of potential. And all three participate in every activity they ask students to complete. Whether it’s an art project, a physical education class, eating lunch, or training for a run or hike, all three staff at Streetfront are right beside the students every step of the way.
“It’s important they see that we’re doing the same things we’re asking them to do,” said Gord. They model the commitment it takes to succeed at any given task. This equal participation between students and staff goes a long way in relationship-building and encouraging reluctant students to participate.
Former student Yara O’Sidhe shared, “Somewhere in the motions of those actions, a family is built. A family I’ve sensed some of the most loyal and integral support and love from in my entire life. No matter which year you go to Streetfront, and no matter what group of students you talk to or ask, that much is guaranteed. A family.”2
The bond the educators share with students lasts long after students graduate from Streetfront. Alumni frequently return to run and volunteer with current students and to say hello to the educators who changed their lives. Students coming back years after they leave the program shows just how deep these relationships are. This program not only teaches students commitment, dedication, and perseverance, the three buzzwords that guide Streetfront’s pedagogy, but also gives students hope and confidence to pursue a future they may not have previously imagined for themselves.
“College wasn’t a thought; graduating wasn’t a thought. I didn’t even think I would have a house and a family. I didn’t think I would make it past 18. Trevor gave me the confidence to believe that I could do what I wanted to do. I live a life that I never ever, ever could have dreamed of. I owe a lot to Streetfront and Trevor. You guys saved my life,” said former student Gage Ladouceur.3
While Gord, Barry, and Trevor have many student success stories to share, they also have their fair share of difficult days. The emotional toll of working with vulnerable students is high; however, the support system they have created with each other has gotten them through the last 20 years.
After working together for 20 years, Gord, Barry, and Trevor describe each other as best friends rather than colleagues. They joke that they’ve had only four staff meetings in 20 years. Instead, they talk and collaborate every day, at school and after school. They support each other on difficult days and celebrate together when a student or the team experiences success.
“The emotional stamina needed to stay in this job cannot be undervalued. So many have to leave. The stories are just too sad. The three of us never left, and I know why. Because we had each other,” said Trevor.4
This year; however, marks Gord’s final year with Streetfront. Since joining the program in 2003, Gord has taken three international trips with students, ran countless marathons, saved a few lives (literally), and inspired hundreds more.
When asked what he’ll miss most, he answered, “The people I’m around all day.” The people at Streetfront truly are the heart and soul of this program. Their shared vision for uplifting, supporting, and building confidence in their students has led to the creation of a program that shows students they are capable, strong, and valuable members of their community. Streetfront is a model for how public education can build up communities and change lives.
More Information
Learn more about Streetfront in Streetfront: Stories about Perseverance, Resilience, and Running in the Downtown Eastside, an edited anthology that highlights student and teacher perspectives on the impact and work of this program.
1 Bettina van Hoven (ed.), Streetfront: Stories about Perseverance, Resilience, and Running in the Downtown Eastside, Urban and Regional Studies Institute, Groningen, 2022, p. 40.
2 Ibid. p. 33.
3 Ibid. p. 92.
4 Ibid. p. 135.