Positive Ticketing comes up on its third year in Chestermere

The Positive Ticketing program in Chestermere is coming up on its third year this Canada day.
The program was started by Synergy in partnership with the Chestermere RCMP to reward good habits within the community.
“RCMP officers hand out “Positive Tickets” to young people caught doing amazing things, and each ticket includes a gift card or coupon to a local business, as well as information on how to enter some really amazing prize draws,” said Coralee McIntosh, one of the team leaders of Synergy.
Positive Ticketing started July 1, 2015, as a collaboration between Stepping Stones to Mental Health, the RCMP, Synergy, and Chestermere Addictions and Mental Health in order to bring attention to all the good things the youth in Chestermere do for the community.
“The groups involved wanted to start a program in Chestermere that celebrated youth for being positive role models and young leaders in the community.
“We were aware of other communities that offer Positive Ticketing programs and thought this would be a great campaign for Chestermere,” said McIntosh.
According to the Synergy website, the Positive Ticketing program aims to focus on positive, preventative, programming as a method of developing healthy young people within the city.
Positive Ticketing provides a means for community organizations and businesses to work together in emphasizing positive reinforcement of desired behaviours in the young people of Chestermere and celebrating the leadership they are showing in the city.
The program also aids in developing healthy relationships between children, youth, and the RCMP said the website.
The program was originally funded by the Chestermere FCSS for the Canada Day celebration in John Peake Park, but due to local businesses and organizations, it has managed to be able to go on as long as it has McIntosh said.
She said there are many ways youth can get a positive ticket, including but not limited to doing good things in their schools, wearing their bike helmet, helping in their classroom, picking up litter in the park, and other positive behaviours.
“Businesses can get involved by donating coupons or gift certificates to go in the Positive Tickets and community members can get involved by volunteering their time as a committee member,” McIntosh said.
Synergy is currently recruiting committee members to help grow the program further.
McIntosh said if someone wishes to refer a young person to receive a positive ticket they can do so by submitting a nomination to chestermerepositiveticketing@gmail.com.
For more information on the Positive Ticketing program go to http://yoursynergy.ca/positiveticketing/.