Youth Gangs

Crime Prevention Ottawa’s multi-stakeholder youth gang working group – the Ottawa Youth Gang Prevention Initiative (OYGPI) has been operating since May 2007.  It is co-chaired by Michael Justinich of Crime Prevention Ottawa and Gord Boyd of the Youth Services Bureau. It currently represents more than 70 individuals from 30+ agencies and institutions.  OYGPI focuses on the issue of youth gangs in Ottawa. It conducts research and creates education and training forums around youth gang prevention and intervention strategies. You can learn more about the Ottawa Youth Gang Prevention Initiative in this section or by contacting one of the Co-Chairs.

Youth Gangs: Pathways in, Pathways out

Crime Prevention Ottawa, in collaboration with the Youth Services Bureau, hosted a public forum called, “Ottawa youth gangs: Pathways in, pathways out,” on October 24, 2011.

The event featured a guest panel of experts to explore the latest research on youth gangs in Ottawa, including what our children need, the life course history of Ottawa gang members, exit programs for gang members and approaches for helping them leave gang life.

Read the research below to find out more about why youth join gangs, why many reject help and what Ottawa is doing about it.

Overview of the current gang situation in Ottawa – Ottawa Police Service-Staff Sergeant Mark Patterson, Guns and Gangs Section

“Life Course of Youth Gang Members,” Professor Katharine Kelly, Director, Pauline Jewett Institute of Women’s and Gender Studies, Carleton University, October 2011.

“Needs Assessment and Service Awareness of Youth Aged 10 to 14, Living in the South-East and West Priority Areas,” Youth Services Bureau, June 2010.

“Leaving Criminal Youth Gangs: Exit Strategies and Programs,” Professors Ross Hastings, Laura Dunbar and Melanie Bania, Institute for the Prevention of Crime, University of Ottawa, June 2011.

Safe Youth, Safe Communities workshops

The OYGPI and Crime Prevention Ottawa have partnered with the Coalition of Health and Community Resource Centres of Ottawa and others to develop and offer the Safe Youth, Safe Communities workshops. The youth gang awareness workshops are for parents who want to find ways to raise healthy, happy and hopeful children. Participants learn how to help children avoid getting involved in gang-related activities and how to access community resources to support them. 

The workshops are available for community partners to download and deliver in English, French, Somali, Arabic, Spanish and Farsi. If you plan to offer a workshop in your community, please let us know the date, time and location by contacting Michael Justinich.

Needs Assessment and Service Awareness of Youth Aged 10 to 14, Living in the South-East and West Priority Areas

The OYGPI commissioned research into the areas of the city where youth gang activity is most prominent. The goal? To involve youth in assessing and addressing the issues. Young researchers at the Youth Services Bureau surveyed youth aged 10-14 in two at-risk areas of the city—the South-East and West. In total, 92 young people from diverse backgrounds participated in focus groups and 115 youth in grades 6, 7 and 8 completed surveys.

The report is a raw portrait of life for young people in the priority neighbourhoods. It concludes with a series of recommendations about how to address the issues through programming, services and community safety initiatives.

 “Community Cohesion and Youth Gang Prevention Six Priority Area”  

This report, released in November 2009, revealed the need for greater youth engagement and prevention programming investment for two of six priority areas. Overall gang activity is low relative to other Canadian cities but with youth gangs on the rise in Canada now is the time to implement effective community-based prevention programming before the situation get worse. The report focuses on Healthy Neighbourhood Cohesion and Prevention, the first two components of OYGPI’s 4-Component Gang Prevention Strategy. 

“Now is the Time to Act: Youth Gang Prevention in Ottawa”  

This report, released in February 2008 revealed the need for a citywide youth gang prevention strategy in Ottawa. It highlighted that the gang situation in Ottawa is not out of control, but indicated that now is the time to implement effective community-based prevention programming through a holistic community response to the youth gang issue.  The report highlights the need for education, awareness, enforcement and suppression in resolving our gang problem in Ottawa. 

 Review of the Roots of Youth Violence  

On January 8, 2008, the Honourable Alvin Curling and Honourable Roy McMurtry met with the Board of Crime Prevention Ottawa as part of a Review that they are co-chairing on the Roots of Youth Violence. This provincial review was tasked with identifying what contributes to youth violence and to provide recommendations to continue building safer, stronger communities. Crime Prevention Ottawa prepared a background paper and a presentation as part of this province-wide consultation. Following the release of the Review of the Roots of Youth Violence report in 2008 Crime Prevention Ottawa submitted a response paper to the Ontario Government and report authors.