Unity is strength

On March 11, 2011, the “Together for the prevention of crime in our communities” roundtable was held at Campus Saint-Jean (CSJ). It was organized by the Alberta Family Youth Alliance (AJFAS) in collaboration with the Association of French Speaking Jurists of Alberta and the Research Group on Inter-Transculturality and Immigration. of the CSJ. Forty people participated in this event where the workshops were presented in French and English. The purpose of this roundtable was to enable community members, service providers and stakeholders to examine how services for youth involving firearms, street gangs, drug dealers and the criminal justice system can be better co-ordinated while discussing ways to address gaps in service delivery and to share best practices and promising models for this population. It is also important to address the issue by analyzing how each community organization could play a role in community crime prevention. The round table also gives members the opportunity to be informed, “said AJFAS Senior Coordinator Luketa M’Pindou.

On this day, the workshop that most affected participants was the one about the reality of crime in Edmonton given by Constable Bryce Clarke of the Edmonton Police Service Gang Unit. “It was a moving presentation. Mr. Clarke brought a DVD to show the reality of the gangs. It’s like organized crime. People in gangs abuse their victims like animals. It’s crazy and there are still about fifteen gangs in Edmonton, “says M’Pindou. During Renée Delorme’s presentation from Public Safety Canada on the theme of street gangs and model approaches to crime prevention, people learned that 25% of youth crime in Canada is Afro-Canadian origin.

OBSERVATION

To counter youth crime, attention must be paid to the lack of parental supervision, school performance, isolation and lack of cultural, educational and extracurricular activities. “If they are not controlled, all of these factors increase the risk of some youth entering street gangs. Organizations should be encouraged to organize more activities for youth. And it is especially in the future that we must focus on the factors of poverty that push children to join gangs “, proclaims the principal coordinator of AJFAS.

Parents also have a very important role to play, but they must have the tools to do it. “There is an intergenerational conflict between parents and children. Parents need to be better informed. Lone-parent families must also have help at this level, “said Mr. M’Pindou adding that it is essential to take preventive measures to prevent children from being called to join street gangs and that it is important to focus on the self-esteem of young people.

HONORED PERSON

At the panel, Alberta Deputy Solicitor General Brad Pickering presented a plaque recognizing 60 years of the Edmonton John Howard Society’s (EJHS) contribution to the prevention of cancer. crime in our communities. EJHS Executive Director Maureen Collins has accepted recognition. “I am very proud to have been a partner with you for all these years. We must not forget that crime has an impact on every person. All children have hope and have faith in them, but sometimes they can lose that. I think that there are solutions and I am happy to be part of these discussions today, “said Ms. Collins.

For AJFAS, this was the first time the association had proposed a roundtable on crime prevention. She had already organized a youth forum in 2004 on the social reintegration of offenders. “On the eve of our 10th anniversary, it was worth revisiting these issues where the three levels of government were involved. I also appreciated the involvement of the people present at this day, it was very good, “concludes Luketa M’Pindou.