Child and Youth Care

An astonishingly honest look at the world of youth and drug addiction, told by those who have been there. A culturally diverse group of seven high school students meets the member of the Odd Squad - Vancouver police officers who, since 1998, have been filming people addicted to drugs. The students talk to the cops, then meet young people who are in recovery, and others still struggling with drug addiction. In the process, their views on drugs and the people who use them undergo important shifts. The students become more understanding and empathic -- and they reveal their own drug experiences.

Grace is a twenty-something supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. Passionate and tough, Grace is a formidable caretaker, and in love with her long-term boyfriend and co-worker, Mason. But Grace's own difficult past, and the surprising future that suddenly presents itself, throws her into unforeseen confusion, made sharper with the arrival of a new intake at the facility, a gifted but troubled teenage girl with whom Grace has a charged connection.

Constable Al Arsenault, along with six other policemen, document the people on their beat to create a powerful film about drug abuse. This group of officers developed a unique relationship with addicts in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. In this documentary, drug addicts talk openly about how they got to the streets and send a powerful message of caution to others about the dangers of drug abuse.

This film examines the lives of 4 young people who grew up in the child welfare system. It is also a critical exposé of a system that couldn't meet their needs, as well as a stirring tribute to the strength, courage and resilience of these foster kids.