Posted on: November 29th, 2011 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Who could turn down an invitation to an event called “Cookies and Crime Prevention”…… ? Community events often use the lure of food and edible goodies to draw out attendees. I fell for that trap when I was asked to be a guest speaker for the Victoria Park Neighbourhood Association (VPNA) AGM last week! That’s really only half the truth….
In fact, I’ve been involved with members of the VPNA for some time now in my role as Community Engagement Coordinator with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council. I could give you a long paragraph about the work we’ve been doing with residents in the neighbourhood. But that’s not nearly as interesting as hearing the story as told by of the neighbours herself.
Aimee makes the point so perfectly in her story. We all have a role to play in creating stronger neighbourhoods. Every little part makes a difference and together we are stronger. We. Can. Make. Change.
And sharing cookies doesn’t hurt either.
Additional stories about Cookies and Crime Prevention from The Record:
Whatever stereotypes you might have about youth and drugs and alcohol…… just put them aside for the moment. Youth, like any other group in our community, are affected by drugs and alcohol. While many will experiment with this or that drug and drinking, still more are motivated to use because of physical and/or emotional pain until it becomes a problem. How to help? How to intervene? How to prevent?
One of the best ways to better understand and address the issues and challenges facing youth and substance use is to learn from them.
SubArtSpaceis a youth art and theatre based project for exploring the youth experience and perspective on substance use. Working with the world renowned MT Space and other local artists, a group of youth committed to expressing themselves through their art will face their stories head on in an evening of theatre, music, dance, poetry, photography and visual art. A single story cannot capture each youth’s experience.
This innovative event is for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in the some of the realities of growing up today- and emerge with a fresh perspective and understanding.
When: Monday November 28, 2011
Where: Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate Institute, 787 King Street West, Kitchener
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
When: Tuesday December 6, 2011
Where: Queen Street Commons, 43 Queen Street South, Kitchener
Time: 7:00 – 9:00pm
**this performance is paired with several films from the final night of “In The Mind’s Eye Film + Forum”.
Last week was Crime Prevention Week across Ontario. It certainly was a busy one from our office at the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council. Here’s the round up of activites…. they were diverse, we can say that much!!
Overdose Awareness and Training Day: Film + Forum – On Monday November 7th, more than 90 people joined presenters from Toronto and Waterloo region on issues of overdose prevention and intervention. Waterloo region and Toronto are just the second and third communities in Canada to offer overdose programs, despite the severity and prevalence of the problem.
The audience was a mixture of service providers, people with lived experience and students. We were joined by people from Windsor, London, Guelph and Peterborough area, among others.
Changing Perceptions: 2011 Waterloo Region Area Survey – Last week, we released Changing Perceptions, a report that explores local perceptions of crime; fear of crime; and attitudes towards crime prevention. The first fear of crime report was released in 2009. Also, in 2009 the WRCPC made a commitment to regularly monitor perceptions of crime and fear of crime in Waterloo Region. This 2011 Changing Perceptions report compares previous data examining fear of crime with results from the 2011 Waterloo Region Area Survey.
Say Hi Guy & Say Hi Gal: Crusaders for building a safer community – with a very simple message, Say Hi Guy & Say Hi Gal hit the streets last week to Say Hi! You too, can help build a safer community by just saying Hi!
Thanks everyone for a great crime prevention week! Just remember…. there is a super hero in all of us. YOU have the power to make you community safer.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane…. no, wait… it’s Say Hi Gal and Say Hi Guy! In recognition of Crime Prevention Week across Ontario, Waterloo Region will be visited by these caped crime prevention crusaders to remind us that we all have a role to play in crime prevention and it can start with an act as simple as saying Hi!.
We know that a connected community is a safer and one small way of building connection is by simply saying Hi to a neighbour, someone you see everyday on your walk to work or getting a coffee, a complete stranger on the bus or in the grocery store. Say Hi Gal and Say Hi Guy are here to remind us of how its done! It doesn’t cost a thing, it doesn’t take long, and the the rewards are worth it.
Word is there was already a reported and recorded sighting of Say Hi Gal at the Woolwich Township Council on Monday evening! Watch out for this masked marvel on the streets of Waterloo Region this week, and don’t be shy, just say Hi!
Say Hi Gal
Say Hi Guys
Say Hi – Cape Central
Say Hi Gal and Say Hi Guy are an extension of the very successful school based Say Hi campaign that addresses inclusion, student engagement, diversity and understanding. To learn more about the Say Hi program visit www.sayhi.ca.
Everybody loves an infographic! They are so helpful in making a point that words on paper just can’t do. As various delegations and experts appeared before the House of Commons during the debate on the omnibus crime bill, we were reminded of this great infographic from The Church Council on Justice & Corrections.
Posted on: October 27th, 2011 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been writing about placemaking. In part because we just had a fantastic event with Cynthia Nikitin of the Project for Public Spaces, but also because placemaking is a great, ‘smart on crime’, crime prevention tool for neighbourhoods and communities. The Festival of Neighbourhoods in Kitchener, Ontario, is a perfect example of placemaking in action.
Created as a “throw a community party, plan a project and get to know your neighbours” kind of event, the Festival of Neighbourhoods has become a great deal more. That “throw a party” approach has led to strengthened community connections and interactions among neighbours where engaged, everyday people make a difference in their community, every day.
In recent decades, society and technology has changed so much that we now spend less time connecting with each other, face to face, and more time at work, in front of screens, in our cars and in our homes. Getting to know the people who live next door and down the street really can make you happier knowing there are folks close by that you can count on.
In crime prevention the saying goes that “a connected community is a safer community”, which is why we, at the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council has sponsored the “Safer Neighbourhood” award at the Festival of Neighbourhoods for the last number of years. The award is for a neighbourhood that hosted an event with the intention of creating a safer community through activities related to community safety, safety awareness and crime-prevention.
Festival of Neighbourhoods – Winners of the Safer Neighbourhood Award
The winner of this year’s “Safer Neighbourhood” award was the Victoria Park Neighbourhood Association for their Henry Sturm Community Festival. The neighbourhood organized a clean up to raise awareness about a neglected, but much loved wooded area along a stretch of the Iron Horse Trail that backs onto many properties in the community. But more importantly, they held a tree planting ceremony in memory of their neighbour who lost his life on New Year’s Eve 2010 on the very same trail behind their houses. It was a chance for family, friends, neighbours and supporters to honour his life and the contributions he made to the neighbourhood which included friendly hellos, a helping hand and time to stop and chat.
This community festival held by a group of caring and committed neighbours is placemaking in fine form. The kind of connections established and maintained within this group will do more for creating a strong sense of place, safety and community than real estate values, fancy design and planned communities could ever do.
Here at the Crime Prevention Council, we have another saying: “Together for a safer community”. We all have a role to play in making and creating safer communities and one way is through building stronger connections with the people who live around us.
What ‘smart on crime’ actions are you taking in your neighbourhood to build connections… and have a little fun?
Posted on: October 7th, 2011 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
‘Placemaking’ is fast becoming a new ‘buzz word’. But what does it really mean anyway? It ends in ‘ing’ so that means it’s a verb, which means some kind of action is happening… What kind of action is required to ‘make a place’? And what does ‘making a place’ have to do with crime prevention and being smart on crime?
Well, the good folks at the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) in New York have a lot of experience with ‘placemaking’. In fact, it’s their entire philosophy. To PPS, placemaking is simply an approach for creating and/or transforming safe public spaces (e.g. civic squares, markets, streets, parks & trails, public buildings, transportation, downtown areas, etc). This approach engages community residents and decision-makers in the process and the ultimate purpose is to create spaces and places that are vibrant, dynamic, safe and healthy.
So, why does this matter to crime prevention?
We know from the work of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) that people feel uncomfortable or fearful in places and spaces that look and/or feel unsafe or dangerous. There’s a domino effect here – if people don’t feel safe in a public place, people don’t go there. If people don’t go there, most likely the space doesn’t get used for what it was intended. When ‘legitimate’ use of a space doesn’t take place, quite often, less desirable activities will take its place. Placemaking can help to turn a place around.
One of our roles as the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council (WRCPC) is keep our area municipalities engaged in the very important role they have to play in municipal-based crime prevention. Building on events we’ve done in the past, WRCPC has engaged Cynthia Nikitin from Project for Public Spaces to visit Waterloo Region on October 20 & 21, 2011. Cynthia will present a freepublic talk and workshop on community safety and crime prevention through placemaking. You can register here for both events.
So, why does this matter to municipalities?
Municipalities are the closest level of government to the places where we live, work and play. Decisions made at the municipal level have the most direct impact on the public spaces in our neighbourhoods and communities. We know that vibrant, dynamic, safe & healthy public spaces and neighbourhoods play a very important part in community life. They are effective for:
increasing social interaction and cohesion
reducing crime and fear of crime
increasing perceptions of safety
encouraging legitimate activity & discouraging less desired activity
developing a sense of ownership among community residents
improving “liveability” in neighbourhoods
While talking with many people about these events, I’ve heard the same comment several times…. “Wow, I’ve never thought about crime prevention that way before, but it makes total sense!” Smart on crime is all about using evidence-based solutions for challenges facing our communities related to crime, fear of crime and victimization. Placemaking has been proven to work. Often, the best solutions are not the most expensive or the most complicated. The solutions that work are the ones where the community is directly involved in the creating the solution and where the community takes continued ownership for making a place their own.
We’ll be posting several more articles over the next few weeks on the topics of crime prevention, placemaking, public space and community safety. Have you had experiences with placemaking? Good, bad, or otherwise? Tell us your placemaking story.
Posted on: September 15th, 2011 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Elections are expected in seven Canadian provinces and territories this fall, including Ontario, where our Crime Prevention Council is located. Election periods always gain a great deal of media attention – the campaign stops, the announcements, the debates, the photo-ops….. But how do you know what a candidate really thinks on a particular issue? And how do you get engaged to ask the questions that are relevant to you? How do you know what questions to ask? What do you do when an issue important to you is not reflected in a candidate’s agenda?
Several community based agencies and provincial organizations are already steps ahead on this election thing and encourage people to take action using a variety of guides and kits created for just this purpose. Since everything we write about in this blog is related to crime prevention and smart on crime approaches to reducing crime, we’ve put together a list of election guides from organizations that work on root cause issues of crime.
the John Howard Society of Ontario created their Election Guide 2011 which covers issues related to poverty, mental health, addiction, prisons, alternative measures, crime prevention, parole, the Ontario Sex Offender Registry… and more
If you’re passionate about an issue in your community, contact the associated organization or agency to find out if they have any prepared information that you can use to inform yourself AND inform others.
Elections are just one of our civic opportunities to engage and influence the decision makers of the day. What will you do to make your voice heard?
Posted on: August 22nd, 2011 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Until recently, there was a fairly narrow dichotomy in perception of approaches to crime; you were perceived as either “tough on crime” or “soft on crime”. It’s good to see we are charting new territory with the language we use to describe our approaches “on crime”. The “on crime” slogans and taglines are becoming more diverse, but no less politicized.
As early as 2007, in Canada, the leader of the Canadian New Democrat Party at the time, Jack Layton, gave a speech titled “Getting Smart on Crime“.
In 2009, California State’s top prosecutor, Kamala Harris, was running for the top job of District Attorney. She published “Smart on Crime” which formed the basis of her election platform.
Right on Crime [United States] – A conservative approach that advocates increased public safety while reducing corrections costs
Smart on Crime Policy [United States] – shortly after being elected, District Attorney Kamala Harris [California], launched her Smart on Crime Transition Team and set out their areas for reform
Language is powerful and the words we use to talk about crime, crime prevention and responses to crime have a significant impact on our attitudes toward crime. Let’s use them wisely.
Have you come across other “on crime” initiatives that we don’t know about yet? What about “on crime” initiatives in other languages? We’d love to hear about them.
On the heels of the July 21st Statistics Canada report on crime statistics for 2010, several media outlets ran editorials over the past few days asking a similar question: If crime has been on a downward trend since 1973, why is the ‘tough of crime’ agenda so popular? These editorials appeared as music to our ‘smart on crime’ ears; because asking tough questions about evidence based practice is the smart thing to do!
Here’s a collection of the coast-to-coast reflections:
