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Streetfront Alternative students. Photo: courtesy of Trevor Stokes
\nBuilding success through movement<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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. \u201cWe use physical fitness as a catalyst for change, be it physical, academic or social,\u201d he told Canadian Running. \u201cWe believe high expectations and a supportive environment are critical to finding success in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
A longstanding connection to the Vancouver Marathon<\/p>\n
Streetfront\u2019s 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. \u201cThe commitment of RUNVAN has been an absolute game changer for us, allowing real-world opportunities for our students to see what they\u2019re capable of,\u201d Stokes says.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
![\"Streetfront](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Streetfront-Parliament-1024x768.jpeg\")
Streetfront Alternative students. Photo courtesy of Trevor Stokes
\nA team effort<\/p>\n
The staff take part in the same training and events as the students. \u201cAt Streetfront, we do everything asked of the students,\u201d Stokes says. \u201cWe run every marathon, do every hike, every training run.\u201d He explains that the shared experience is a big part of what makes the program work.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy favourite thing is getting nervous, anxious and self-doubt-filled youth to be willing to commit to something significant and difficult,\u201d he says, \u201cand to participate alongside them as they struggle and triumph, exceeding society\u2019s expectations of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The impact of race day<\/p>\n
Stokes describes watching the students participate in the marathon as beyond inspiring. \u201cTo 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\u2014I don\u2019t think any other teacher could witness such beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to support Streetfront Alternative<\/p>\n
Streetfront\u2019s biggest fundraiser involves a 5K and 10K race hosted by the charity Strachan Hartley Legacy Foundation, <\/a>where 100 per cent of proceeds go to Streetfront. The charity run funds all of Streetfront\u2019s outdoor education programming, with this year\u2019s race is being held on Oct. 18.<\/p>\n