Writer/Director Andrée Cazabon lived the life of a runaway - in spite of her loving suburban home. Now, years later in Letters to a Street Child, a 23-minute short drama, Andrée has brought to light the street kid's parent's perspective. Based on the letters her father wrote to her while she was on the streets at age 13-14, the filmmaker honours the nightmare that her family also survived.

Letters to a Street Child employs the letters as a structure to contrast the parents'  fear and pain against the violent reality created by their daughter's drug addiction. Moving between the underworld of the streets and the father's insomnia, we witness the scars of addiction, the isolation of the family, the idyllic memories of a happy childhood, and the parents' attempt to save their daughter. Throughout, the film reminds us that the pain of the family left behind is as valid and deep as the young addict's.

Teacher/Facilitator Guide for secondary school classroom and youth agency group programs

The Teacher/Facilitator Guide was developed by PAD to accompany the viewing of the video in secondary school classrooms and youth agency programs. The guide

• presents a variety of interactive and reflective exercises, arranged in a 2-day format for 60-minute classes with additional challenges and extensions for learning
• format can be rearranged to suit a variety of programs and target audiences, including services for hard-to-reach youth
• includes 3 blackline masters for photocopying for class/group distribution and Fact Sheet on Youth and Drugs
li>references to "Specific Learning Expectations" in the Ontario curriculum for Physical and Health Education (grades 9 and 10) and Social Sciences and the Humanities (grades 9 or 10 open) and Rubrics for Assessment

Target Audience: youth, ages 14-17

Timing: video and complete presentation (120 minutes): promotes discussion of the social issues surrounding street-involved youth and challenges adolescents to address their own values, beliefs and experiences

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