Peel vows to stop youth violence before it starts

The Peel Youth Violence Prevention Committee is taking an aggressive stand in its effort to make communities and schools in Peel safer with the launch of the first-ever, region-wide strategy to reduce youth violence.

The committee’s comprehensive, integrated plan will knit together a communitybased safety net of schools, police, agencies, governments and various health providers to dispel fears and fashion a brighter – and safer – future for all youth in Peel.

“To pretend that we, in Peel, are somehow immune to the kind of violence we see across the GTA and on the evening news is like burying our heads in the sand,” said an impassioned Gael Miles, chair of the committee and regional councillor. “Our strategy will focus on prevention and intervention, before we are faced with a crisis in our neighbourhood.”

Youth violence in Peel is generally under control but the number of gangs and use of weapons in the community is on the increase. The Peel Youth Violence Prevention Strategy, which was developed following a June 2006 community forum on violence prevention, is the first of its kind in Peel. It is aimed at neighbourhoods, schools and the community as a whole, and includes input from more than 140 community groups, including representatives from police, school boards, faith groups, support agencies, health services, politics and youth groups.

“Collaboration and teamwork are the keys to success and our strategy will maximize the otherwise stretched resources of all agencies to help stop youth violence before it starts,” added Miles.

The Peel Youth Violence Prevention Strategy will focus on four critical areas of concern: services and support for youth; community development; working with families; and education, policy and programs for youth. It includes a steering committee, four working groups and a secretariat, and will work toward influencing various priority actions identified by the community. These priorities range from establishing more community drop-in centres for youth and developing an urban culture outreach program promoting literacy, arts, dance and music to constructing stronger connections between families and schools and supporting the development of better parenting skills.

The steering committee will include representatives from Regional Council, Peel Regional Police, the Region of Peel Public Health department, schools and the community. Each of the four working groups will be chaired by a community leader with expertise in each area and will include community stakeholders and representation from the steering committee. Each year, a report card will be developed to chart progress on the issues.

The Peel Youth Violence Prevention Committee was initiated in January 2006 under a directive from Peel Regional Council. It was created to develop a collaborative, community-based Youth Violence Prevention Strategy for Peel region, an area that encompasses the town of Caledon and the cities of Brampton and Mississauga.

For more information or to view the strategy, visit peelregion.ca or call 905-799- 7700.