More than 25,000 runners from around the world lined up at Sunday’s BMO Vancouver Marathon, including a group of local students whose journey to the start line looked a little different.
Streetfront Alternative is an alternative program based out of Britannia Secondary in East Vancouver. It works with students in Grades 8 to 10 who have not found success in a traditional school setting, using physical activity and time outdoors to help rebuild their confidence and add structure to their lives.
Streetfront Alternative students. Photo: courtesy of Trevor Stokes
Building success through movement
The program runs three days a week with a small group of students and staff, mixing core classes with outdoor education and regular training. Running plays a central role in how the program works.
Trevor Stokes has been part of Streetfront for 27 years and now leads the program. He sees physical activity as a starting point for broader change. “We use physical fitness as a catalyst for change, be it physical, academic or social,” he told Canadian Running. “We believe high expectations and a supportive environment are critical to finding success in life.”
A longstanding connection to the Vancouver Marathon
Streetfront’s relationship with the Vancouver Marathon goes back more than two decades. Students volunteer ahead of race weekend and earn entries into the marathon or half-marathon. “The commitment of RUNVAN has been an absolute game changer for us, allowing real-world opportunities for our students to see what they’re capable of,” Stokes says.
For many of the students, the idea of running a marathon would not have been on their radar before joining the program. Training toward that goal becomes part of the process.
Streetfront Alternative students. Photo courtesy of Trevor Stokes
A team effort
The staff take part in the same training and events as the students. “At Streetfront, we do everything asked of the students,” Stokes says. “We run every marathon, do every hike, every training run.” He explains that the shared experience is a big part of what makes the program work.
“My favourite thing is getting nervous, anxious and self-doubt-filled youth to be willing to commit to something significant and difficult,” he says, “and to participate alongside them as they struggle and triumph, exceeding society’s expectations of them.”
The impact of race day
Stokes describes watching the students participate in the marathon as beyond inspiring. “To see upwards of 50 students, all coming from backgrounds not associated with endurance sports, all having shared the same experience, the same distances travelled and then celebrating together—I don’t think any other teacher could witness such beauty.”
How to support Streetfront Alternative
Streetfront’s biggest fundraiser involves a 5K and 10K race hosted by the charity Strachan Hartley Legacy Foundation, where 100 per cent of proceeds go to Streetfront. The charity run funds all of Streetfront’s outdoor education programming, with this year’s race is being held on Oct. 18.
To learn more about Streetfront Alternative, check out their website here.