Students create flash mob outside Prince George RCMP building

Downtown Prince George was treated to some spontaneous entertainment this morning, but only for a few minutes.

Const. Sonia Blom joins local students in a flash mob outside the Prince George RCMP Detachment on Monday morning. Courtesy Prince George RCMP

At approximately 10:15 a.m., 170 elementary and secondary students converged on the Prince George City Detachment to take part in a flash mob.

A flash mob is a sudden large public gathering where people perform an unusual or seemingly random act and then disperse immediately afterward. In this case, the mob, joined by local RCMP officers, performed a choreographed dance to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” in the front garden of the local detachment. “Shake it Off: Survivor to Thriver” is the theme to this year’s events.

The mob was a joint effort between School District 57 and the three Prince George area victim services units from the Native Friendship Centre, Elizabeth Fry Society and the Prince George RCMP. The goal of the project was to bring awareness to victims of crime in our community, as this event was the local kick off to National Victims of Crime Awareness Week.

Over the last few months students had been preparing for this event in their own schools and had been given information about victimization and crime. Following the flash mob event, the dancing students were treated to a ‘Game Show’ style trivia and training session with pizza and prizes to follow.

Most of the students are in Grade 6 or 7 and came from the following elementary schools: Van Bien, Spruceland Traditional, Nukko Lake, Glenview, Heather Park, Hart Highlands, and Morfee (Mackenzie).

Students from Mackenzie Secondary and the John McInnes Centre for Learning Alternatives also participated.

“It was a great feeling being involved in creating this flash mob to raise awareness for victims of crime,” says co-organizer John Giannisis from School District 57. “The students really enjoyed this experience and have learned a great deal”.

Victim Services units support victims of crime throughout the often harrowing events surrounding a tragedy or trauma by providing crisis intervention, emotional support and information about the criminal justice system. This very important week of recognition and learning will offer many opportunities for the public to expand their scope of knowledge in relation to the issues victims of crime face, as well as the role Victim Services plays for Prince George citizens.