Preventing Youth Gang Activity in Toronto Project

The National Crime Prevention Strategy, which is administered by Public Safety Canada's National Crime Prevention Centre, is providing more than $4.9 million in funding over three and-a-half years to support a crime prevention project that will help at-risk youth in Toronto, Ontario to make better choices and reduce their chances of a life of gang-related crime.

The Preventing Youth Gang Activity in Toronto project will work with youth between the ages of 13 and 24 who are engaged in gangs or at risk of joining gangs, along with their families and the broader community, to deal with the risks associated with gang involvement.

The project will:

• Provide at-risk youth with the knowledge, skills and support they need to leave gangs, resist joining gangs and resist returning to the gang lifestyle;
• Provide counseling and addiction treatment;
• Provide social support for families of participating youth;
• Build individual case management plans for participants to address their specific needs;
• Create partnerships with local communities and agencies to increase knowledge about what works in gang prevention.

The project was developed by the City of Toronto's Community Safety Secretariat, with support from the University of Toronto's Centre for Criminology.