Hello, and thanks for looking up the PGYCC website.  My name is Ron Manning.  I am one of the school teachers here at PGYCC, and I administer the PGYCC website as a bit of a pet project.  All of the incoming and outgoing mail passes through me.  I've been here since 1989, and I love my job!  I teach technology education and work experience.  I am the author of this page, and only this page - the kids have written everything else. 

            Since we set up this website we've had a great number of interesting folks connect with us.  People have written from all over the world, and we've been asked many, many questions.   Some individuals have even become keypals with selected residents of the Center.  Hundreds of  high school and college students have asked for information to help them write assignments.  Several distraught parents have written for advice on how to deal with their troubled kids.  Many people have simply written to offer encouragement to the adolescents incarcerated here, and to congratulate them on the effort they've put into the website.  Our website has aided in making connections with staff in facilities similar to PGYCC in locations far from here.  It's given our staff an opportunity to share ideas to help improve our programs.  We're very grateful for any and all letters and questions, and we do our best to answer each and every one in a timely fashion.

 The PGYCC website has received hundreds of job applications from people who are interested in working here.  Unfortunately, we are unable to help much in the area of employment information except to refer people to the Justice Institute of B.C. website.  All Youth Care Workers in B.C. facilities are B.C. Provincial Government employees, and are trained through the Justice Institute.  If you are seeking employment, please note that all Youth Care Workers require a minimum of two years of post-secondary education in a related field before applying for specialty training through the Justice Institute.  Please take the time to look up the JIBC website, and perhaps also the B.C. Ministry of Children and Families website at www.gov.bc.ca/mcf/.   Not all the jobs here are described in the websites listed above, but they do provide fairly comprehensive information for people seeking employment in the youth care area.

There has also been some interest from people who work in facilities similar to PGYCC to participate in staff exchanges.  So far we haven't had an exchange, but the possibility definitely exists.  International exchanges are a bit tricky to set up, but with a bit of determination there is no reason why they can't take place.  Feel free to talk to us about it if you're interested in such an adventure.

To date one of our most interesting connections has been with Peggy DeVylder.  Peggy is a student of Orthopedagogics at the University of Ghent in Brussels, Belgium. She found our Site while doing research for one of her courses.  As a part of her program, she requested to do a two month practicum here at PGYCC.  We were delighted to accommodate her, and she arrived here at the beginning of September, 2000.  We think it's safe to say she's had many excellent adventures during the time she's spent with us, and we hope to have a brief note from her on the site soon.  She can tell you all her most memorable experiences.  In the mean time, here's a picture of Peggy about to get her first flying lesson from me in my trusty old Cessna.  On a personal note, I think Peggy is terrific!  She's been eager to learn, and appreciated by all the staff here.  I think we've learned as much from her as she's learned from us!