A cuddly kind of positive incentive program has been started in Penhold to help encourage kids to do things like buckle up and cross the street safely.
"It's something we just started," said Dana Jones, a community peace officer for Penhold. Cory Kingsfield, another peace officer, had seen an advertisement on television for teddy bears that Shaw was giving out to communities for various initiatives.
They ended up ordering a few dozen bears and have started handing the toys out to some lucky young peoply.
Jones explained the bears are a "positive incentive" for "when we see the young people doing good things."
Examples given were wearing helmets while biking or skateboarding, crossing the street safely or wearing seatbelts in cars.
ëPositive incentives when we see positive behaviour," Kingsfield said.
Kingsfield has given away about six bears so far and said the reaction has mostly been "big smiles" from the recipients.
"I think the parents are just as surprised as the young people," Kingsfield said, noting he's mostly given out the bears during traffic stops. He pointed out that normally red and blue lights in the rearview mirror is not good news.
"Learning values of safety, values of health," Jones said of the program.
Kingsfield said its hoped that when the youthful citizens are showing off their new bear, they'll explain to their peers why they got it and hence will help encourage the behaviours in all local kids.
It is going to be an ongoing program for the peace officers, who have other positive incentive programs in the form of souvenirs from the Alberta Traffic Safety Board and the annual Penhold bike rodeo in June.
