ONTARIO MP'S VIEW

We need to engage youth

Gun violence and crime is an issue that affects people from all walks of life, people from different backgrounds and different religions. Gun violence and crime has also been an issue that has affected our community of Brampton. The solution to ensuring we take the guns off the streets and make our schools and city safer is a multifaceted one. The solution is not the responsibility of one person, but of each and every one of us as citizens.

Recently, a community round-table was organized and held at Fletcher's Meadow Secondary School. Concerned Brampton residents along with youth, parents, teachers, community leaders, city councilors and other government representatives gathered to discuss the issues affecting the youth of our city.

The issues repeatedly mentioned by all those who attended were the large and growing number of youth in Brampton who seem to be "disengaged"; the increase in the number of young people who are part of the gang culture; as well as the lack of new resources for young people. During the community round table, emotions were expressed, concerns were revealed and ideas were presented in an effort to tackle the problems affecting the young people of our city.

Many participants also expressed their discontent with the portrayal of youth in the media along with the negative influences the media has on our young people, especially those that glorifying drugs, alcohol and violence.

To tackle this strong and sometimes overwhelming influence on the youth, it was felt by all attendees a more proactive approach to engage the youth and keep them out of the many pitfalls adolescence life seems to present is needed. Many who attended expressed their struggles with providing parental discretion due to the financial constraints many families deal with. Coupled with social cut-backs and the lack of social services and programs, the youth become disengaged and essentially disenfranchised from the community they feel has left them behind. With no real connection to the community, and a need to feel a sense of belonging, young people become vulnerable to the appeal of the gang culture.

We, as a community, need to help our youth stay on the right path. Ideas such as creating more recreation centers and allowing more schools to stay open after 3 p.m. so youth, particularly between the problematic ages of 15-18, have something to do and somewhere to go.

It is between the hours of 3 to 6 p.m. that most youth get themselves in trouble. Keeping our young people off the streets during this time by providing a safe place to meet until working parents get home will help ensure a safer community. As negative images of the youth are portrayed in the media we, as citizens, need to remember it is our collective responsibility to ensure young people are not viewed in this negative light.

Groups of young people playing basketball in our neighbourhood streets, should not result in having the police called to disperse them. Making young people feel they are not wanted will only push them towards the accepting embrace of criminal gangs.

Each one of us must work to build a secure, safe and tolerant society. From a policy perspective, a multi-prong strategy to restore safety of our communities is required. The Liberal Party believes that to fully address the increase in crime, Canada must take a comprehensive approach and provide avenues for at risk youths to avoid the lure of criminal life. This is why we have a taken community based approach and provided a $50 million Gun Violence and Gang Prevention fund as part of our National Crime Prevention Strategy.

The intent is to provide work opportunities of young Canadians, allowing for their talents and intelligence to be utilized in a manner beneficent to both them and the community. Coupled with this community-based initiative, we will take further measures to reduce the appeal of criminal activity. We believe tougher penalties should be enforced by doubling the minimum sentence on gun-related crimes. This will ensure that those who manage to fall through the cracks of our social security apparatus will be taken off our streets for a longer period of time.

We need to engage our youth, occupy their time, empower them and instill in them a sense of community. This positive reinforcement will help to ensure that our young people are valuable and productive citizens of our city. Young people are the future of our country. We must work together to ensure that young people maximize their potential and reach their full promise.

Ruby Dhalla
15 March 2006

http://www.northpeel.com/br/editorial/column/story/3380453p-3911179c.html

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