Find out more about what we're doing to prevent crime and make Ottawa a great place to live.
Youth
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.
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.
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.
For more information about the review: http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/youthandthelaw/roots/
index.aspx
In June 2009 Crime Prevention Ottawa’s Board of Directors approved a position paper, “Improving Access to Recreation for Vulnerable Citizens in Ottawa,” authored by Dr. Mark Totten, as part of the consultation process for developing a Master Plan for Parks and Recreation. The report highlights the importance of accessible, high quality recreation for children and youth as an important long-term crime prevention strategy. Growing up poor in Ottawa is very expensive – we all pay the costs when vulnerable residents are excluded from full community life. We all pay the price when youth in at-risk neighbourhoods can’t take part in quality recreation programs. Crime goes up and people get sick.
The Fourth R
CPO continues to support the introduction of this evidence based dating violence prevention program in English public and Catholic schools in Ottawa. Curriculum kits have been purchased for all area English high schools and a number of training events for teachers have taken place. More training is being planned for September 2010. Research to find an appropriate French program is continuing. To learn more about “The 4th R” go to http://youthrelationships.org/about_fourth_r.html .
