Canadian musician encourages Fredericton youth to make responsible choices

Mitch Dorge from the Crash Test Dummies listens to an up-and-coming drummer. (Photo by Stew Corbett.)

Mitch Dorge, drummer for the Canadian band Crash Test Dummies, was at Bliss Carman Middle School in Fredericton Thursday night giving a presentation on making responsible choices with drugs and alcohol.

After the Crash Test Dummies went on hiatus in 2001, Dorge started building a program aimed at inspiring people to go out and pursue something they were interested in and he soon realized he had a knack for dealing with young kids. Other people noticed his abilities and asked him to spread the good word.

“People started coming to me and asking ‘Do you think you can incorporate some messaging about drinking and driving?’” said Dorge.

Dorge uses his unconventional and positive methods to inform youth of what drugs and alcohol are and what they can do. Dorge believes that youth being educated about such substances using death as an absolute will become confused when they face reality.

“You can’t go to kids and tell them, you know, if you do drugs that you’re going to end up dying; because a lot of kids do drugs and don’t die,” Dorge points out. “You can’t go to them and say if you drink and drive that you’re going to kill people because as soon as they see their parent drive home drunk they say ‘My dad drove home drunk and he made it.’”

The solution for Dorge is to give the youth the real life perspective.

“I’m not trying to snow you, I’m not trying to scare you, I’m trying to tell you to think about your choices,” says Dorge. “Truth of the matter is a lot of people do a lot of dangerous things and they come out of it OK [but] what if you’re the one who doesn’t?”

Being judgmental is another no-no, says Dorge. Telling people they are wrong and making them feel guilty is not his approach – making them think about their choices is.

The presentation Thursday night was open to the whole community but Dorge was primarily in Fredericton to go around to local middle schools to speak to the students. Constable Jeanette Hudson, a representative of the Fredericton Police Department at the event, said reaching out to the middle school age group is particularly important.

Thursday night's presentation was attended by teens, younger children and even adults. (Photo by Stew Corbett.)

“That’s the age where they’re going to start to experiment,” said Hudson. “If you can get a positive message and be in their face at that age, I think it’s imperative.”

It’s also important the youth challenge their parents which – according to Dorge – middle school kids would likely do.

“A lot of the kids that were here tonight dragged their parents here,” said Dorge. “They hear [the message] in a fun way but they’re also more likely to go home and say ‘Hey Dad, you shouldn’t do this’ or ‘Hey Mom, you shouldn’t do this.’ Whereas the kids in high schools tend to not challenge their parents.”

Dorge came to Fredericton by way of the local police department and the Co-operators group, an insurance and financial service organization based in Guelph, Ontario. Dorge says the partnership between the Fredericton Police Department and the local Co-operators group is something to be praised.

“The Fredericton Police Department, the community police, they are very active in trying to turn things around in Fredericton but they don’t have the resources,” says Dorge.

That’s where the Co-operators agent in Fredericton, Mac Burns comes in and helps cover the expenses and work with police to create a partnership which Dorge thinks is very special.

Dorge is happy to influence the youth in middle schools and inform them of what could happen but says the message he wants to communicate can’t be put on hold when they take the next big step.

“They need to hear it again when they get to high school because between here and high school they’ll forget because of peer pressure and whatever else. And we can’t turn everyone around but you know what, for every one kid that we shift in their thinking, that kid will affect two other people.”

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Posted by Stew Corbett on Feb 19, 2010. Filed under Features, This Week's Edition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.