Appendix A: NCPC Logic Model for the YGPF Fund

The logic model is a visual representation that links activities, outputs and outcomes. It provides a systematic and visual method of illustrating the program theory and shows the logic of how YGPF is expected to achieve its objectives. A series of arrows point the sequential direction of the expected causal relationship from "activities", to "outputs", "immediate outcomes", "intermediate outcomes", "long term outcomes" and, finally, "NCPS outcome".

The activities are:

• Work with province and territories to identify communities and select projects
• Provide funding to local projects
• Provide support, monitoring, resources and assistance to projects to maximize likelihood of results
• Develop and disseminate to projects and communities information about extent and nature of gang involvement, risk and protective factors, and how to address gang violence

The activities lead to the following outputs:

• Community-based initiatives that:
  • target youth at greatest risk of joining gangs or wishing  to exit
  • address multiple, known risk and protective factors at the individual, family, peer, school, and community levels
  • are tailored to the local context
  • adopt an evidence-based approach to both what to do and how to do it
  • include partnerships with sectors whose participation is necessary to impact all relevant risk and protective factors
• Resources developed and disseminated, training sessions held, networks created, consultations provided

The first set of outputs (i.e. community-based initiatives) lead to three levels of immediate outcomes, as follows:

Level 1

• At-risk youth access support and fully participate in programs to help them resist gangs
• Youth in gangs access support and fully participate in programs to help them disengage from gangs
• Community organizations, parents, schools, community members access resources and increase knowledge of how to prevent and intervene with youth gangs

Level 2

• At-risk youth increase awareness of consequences of gang involvement, adopt a less positive attitude towards gangs, and become motivated to change behaviour
• Youth in gangs increase awareness of other opportunities and supports, become motivated to leave and feel supported in disengaging from the gangs
• Communities reduce service gaps, provide increased access for youth to legitimate opportunity structures, and implement strategies to reduce gang presence   

Level 3

• At-risk youth demonstrate positive changes across multiple risk and protective factors such as sense of identity; problem-solving and anger management skills; school achievement; involvement in pro-social activities; decreased substance abuse; employment
• Youth in gangs demonstrate positive changes across multiple risk and protective factors e.g. decrease in anti-social attitudes; attachment to jobs or school; decreased substance abuse; increased social and cognitive skills; involvement in pro-social activities; positive relationships with family, non-delinquent peers and other role models such as Elders
• Positive changes in multiple risk and protective factors in communities, such as awareness of impact of gang-related crime on victims;  intolerance of gang activity; decreased availability of drugs and weapons;  informal social controls; acceptance among minority and mainstream communities; decrease in visible gang activity  

The second set of outputs (i.e. resources, training sessions, etc.) lead to two levels of immediate outcomes, as follows:

Level 1

• Increase in Canadian body of knowledge related to gangs, including knowledge of the risk and protective factors linked to gang involvement 

Level 2

• Local/provincial stakeholders are more knowledgeable, better trained in how to prevent and intervene with gangs 

The immediate outcomes lead to three intermediate outcomes, namely:

• At-risk youth choose not to join gangs
• Youth disengage from gangs
• More effective, evidence-based response to gangs in communities

The intermediate outcomes lead to the following long term outcome:

• Decrease in gang-related crime in communities

The long term outcome leads to the following NCPS outcome:

• Increased community safety