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THE REGIONAL MULTICULTURAL YOUTH COUNCILS COMMENTS ON ONTARIOS ROOTS OF YOUTH VIOLENCE REPORT
A Review of the Roots of Youth Violence was commissioned by Premier Dalton McGuinty in June, 2007 to help identify and analyze the underlying causes contributing to youth violence, and provide recommendations for Ontario to move forward. Dr. Alvin Curling--former Speaker of the Legislature, and the Honourable Roy McMurtryformer Chief Justice, cochaired the review process. They met with social agencies, community members and civic leaders, Aboriginal groups, youth representatives, educators, policing services, the justice community, and more. Thunder Bay was one of the five cities selected to host neighbourhood consultations. In the fall of 2007, the Regional Multicultural Youth Council (RMYC) co-ordinated focus groups for the co-chairs to hear local stories and the challenges we face. The Review of the Roots

of Youth Violence Report was released on November 14, 2008, and presented to the
Ontario Premier for implementation. After reviewing the report which is on line: (www.rootsofyouthviolence.on.ca), the RMYC came up with the following propositions: The Ontario government should set aside funding to implement Structural Recommendations #7-10 as soon as possible. As a youth council, we want to see an immediate investment in safe spaces (youth centres and community hubs), to help growing numbers of impoverishes, marginalized and at-risk youth on our streets and neigbourhoods who are vulnerable to violence, crime and other negative lifestyles. 1. YOUTH SPACES: YOUTH DROP-IN CENTRES / COMMUNITY HUBS

Youth need safe places to hang out, participate in casual and structured activities, as well as access programs, supports, and services. They need their own spaces to learn, share experiences, exchange information, bond, and work together. Such facilities also provide opportunities for the community to meet with young people on their own turf, hear them out, and engage them as stakeholders in safety issues and community development.

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In Thunder Bay, there is a shortage of safe and supervised places for kids to hangout after school. The RMYCs Multicultural Youth (Drop-in) Centre established in the citys south-core in 1992, was forced to close its doors last winter due to a lack of stable funding. This took away a safe popular place for many disadvantaged kids in the downtown neighbourhood to hang out, use computers, access information, resources, positive peer influence, and other helpful supports they had come to enjoy. The Youth Councils executive was also deprived of a place to meet, plan and organize activities, train peer leaders, develop role models, be involved in professional development, and discuss issues of mutual interest. . The Youth Centre has enabled the RMYC to regularly consult with youths, and share ideas, concerns, and opinions with the community. The Youth for Safer Communities Report, Thunder Bay Transit Safety Report, Thunder Bay Neighbourhood Profiles Report, the Schools Acknowledging Safety Solutions by Youth Report, and the Project 21 - Anti-Racism Project Report, all produced by the Youth Council in the last four years are examples of what young people can do if provided with financial resources, space, guidance, training and support. Youth have the potential and capacity to be a valuable resource for social development. The RMYCs ability to work with children and youth, give them a voice, listen to their issues, and share ideas to become part of the solution was disrupted by the closure of the Centre. As a result, the Youth Council has been more concerned about fundraising to keep the Centre open, instead of using the time, talents, skills, and leadership potential to connect, engage, and assist alienated and marginalized peers who are vulnerable to crime and violence. Therefore: * There is a need to support youth centres or community hubs as safe places for kids to hang out and participate in well supervised programs and activities. Spaces and facilities such as schools, recreation centres, community halls or church basements etc., conveniently located and willing to serve as drop-in centres should be identified and asked to operate as positive environments for kids to hang out instead of being on the streets. They should also provide a list of their resources needs including cost estimates to run after-school programs. * We need financial resources for youth drop-ins and resource centres. It is important to provide funding to stabilize safe spaces that keep kids off the streets. It is important to maintain continuity of services to keep in touch with at-risk kids. Disruption of programs and services due to funding problems, or closure of youth drop-ins drives youths to the streets, where there are risks of substance abuse, prostitution, violence, joining criminal youth gangs, and other negative lifestyles. A pool of responsible adults is needed for supervision, security, advice, guidance, and support. The adults can be paid staff, or volunteers who genuinely love working with kids, are culturally sensitive, and prepared to help out after-hours. .../3 -3-

Partnerships should also be established between community groups and agencies willing to provide resource people, Elders, counsellors, professional presenters and give donations. The support of policing services to patrol youth centres/community hubs is critical to the building of positive relations with police officers. This also ensures protection of the facilities from drug traffickers, child molesters, criminal youth gangs, and other folks who prey on kids, and putting them at risk.

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ENGAGING YOUTH & CAPACITY BUILDING: INVESTING IN YOUTH CAPITAL:

Youths communicate well with their peers because there is no generation gap. They know what is going on among their friends and schoolmates. Training young leaders to use positive peer influence can make a difference. Identifying, recruiting and training young volunteers to reach out to peers will enable us to reach more young people in the community. Using young leaders to consult with peers on all issues, and seek input on ways to resolve problems is an effective strategy to connect with, motivate and mobilize other youths. Creating peer helpers and providing them with relevant information enables young leaders to handle different situations. Building self-confidence to make presentations to their peers and decision-makers, will empower the youth, give them a voice, and raise the profile of their issues. Teaching empathy, cultural sensitivity and communication skills and other relevant qualities will enable the youth to mediate arguments, resolve conflict by talking things out instead of fighting. This helps to reduce retaliation and the potential for violence. A large pool of trained young leaders working with peers at youth centres, community halls, in schools, churches, and other facilities for easy access, is an effective way to involve more youths, especially those not normally reached through current means. Imagine having Youth Councils conveniently located in every near-by community or recreation centre organizing positive activities for kids, offering friendship, and sharing information young people need to make wise choices and informed decisions. This will help to break negative cycles, and minimize the chances of involvement in risky lifestyles. The RMYC has successfully used a youth-to-youth approach promote programs, provide positive peer influence, and offer support. Youths are involved in organizing their own activities to alleviate boredom, and encourage mass participation. In this way, the Youth Council has been able to expand their initiatives to schools, neighbourhoods, outlying communities across the region including First Nations reserves. This strategy has been an effective method of giving children and youth a voice, sharing skills and giving confidence to discuss various topics such as racism, bullying, poverty, addictions, education, crime, violence, homelessness, abuse, jobs, nutrition, education, recreation, the environment, relationships, parenting and so forth. This engages the youth to be part of the solution. .../4 -4-

Therefore: * There is a need to invest in the development of young leaders, role models and peer helpers who can reach out and engage more young people to make a difference. Training is needed to enable young people to develop self-confidence and speak out about their problems to make the general public aware of current concerns. This will bring the issues to the fore-front, challenge relevant authorities to act, and involve youths as part of the solution. * We should create a pool of peer helpers who are approachable, empathetic, sensitive, can communicate well with all youths, and capable of reaching out and working with more young people. Providing relevant skills to handle situations and make referrals will benefit more children and youth, especially those at-risk. The RMYC is prepared to help initiate the peer-to-peer training in partnership with schools and other agencies. To retain the services of trained peer helpers longer, they should be rewarded with course credits, honouraria, special awards or other incentives. Compensating young leaders and role models for their time, skills and effort will reduce the talent-drain to some fast-food and commercial outlets. The community will benefit a lot more from peer helpers who are able to network with other students, connect with at-risk youth, and use positive influence and experience to make a difference. COMMUNITY STRATEGY AND RESOURCE NEEDS:

3.

Thunder Bay City Council adopted a Childrens Charter in June, 2004. The Childrens Charter provides a blueprint of what the community should do to enhance the well-being of children and youth. We believe that if fully applied, the Childrens Charter will improve the living conditions of all children and youth, reduce risks that make kids vulnerable, and help to make our community safer. Our Quality of Life Report Thunder Bay: 2008 released in early 2009 reveals that Thunder Bay has a youth crime-rate that is more than twice the provincial average. We attribute this crime trend to our failure to implement aspects of the Thunder Bay Childrens Charter that engage children and youth as part of the solution. City Hall has been unable to support and put into action social programs and services that would complement Childrens Charter due to a lack of funding. Therefore: * The City of Thunder Bay and Thunder Bays Childrens Advocate should be proactive in promoting the Childrens Charter as a vision of what needs to be done to enhance the well-being of children and youth community.

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The city should use recommendations in the Review of the Roots of Youth Violence Report to secure and distribute financial resources for the engagement of stakeholders to create a collective strategy for the implementation of the Thunder Bay Childrens Charter. City Council must urge Premier McGuinty/the Ontario government to implement all recommendations in the report. The City should also approach the federal government and the private sector for additional funds for youth initiatives. The City needs to conduct an audit of what exists in the community in regards to services, programs and supports for children and youth. City Hall should immediately convene a forum for stakeholders (community groups, agencies etc.) that provide services and programs that complement Thunder Bay Childrens Charter, to share their best-practices. The City can then identify existing gaps, and come up with a comprehensive working document to facilitate the application of the Childrens Charter for the benefit of all children and youth, families, and the community as a whole. Thunder Bay Childrens Advocate should lead the campaign to implement the Childrens Charter, seek stakeholders input on financial, physical and human resources needed, and fair ways to share funding to achieve desired outcomes. The Childrens Advocate should liaise with the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to be a voice in government for youth centres/community hubs. There is an urgent need for safe facilities with structured programs and support services for kids to hang out. CONCLUDING COMMENTS

Improving the quality of life for children and youth and creating a positive, healthy and safe environment shows a caring community. Good schools provide a strong foundation for progress. Affordable recreational activities reduce boredom, promote fitness, and engage kids in healthy fun activities. Counselling and other support services for youth-at-risk helps them to heal, gives them hope, and makes them feel they belong. This will reduce delinquency and save a fortune in costly correctional services and rehabilitation of young and repeat offenders. This will make our schools and community safer and more secure for everyone. There is a sayingIt takes a Village to Raise a Child. Youth are a dependent population with no funds of their own to run programs. Investing in activities that foster healthy lifestyles and encourage kids to get along builds stronger communities. Pleasant experiences during childhood and employment opportunities will keep local talents, and entrepreneurship skills here. This will reduce out-migration and the brain-drain we need for economic growth and development. Fond memories can entice youths who leave to pursue educational goals, acquire training or expand career horizons elsewhere to come back, work, raise families, invest and contribute to our communitys future and prosperity.
October, 2009