Who decides? Supporting community led grassroots solutions to youth violence
Guest blog post from Fanis Juma Radstake
In response to the July Toronto shootings, it was reported that the Toronto Police Chief, the Ontario Premier and the Toronto Mayor held a meeting that resulted in a decision to continue to fund an increased police presence in Toronto neighbourhoods that are affected by youth violence. This will be done by securing ongoing funding for the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS). In March of 2012, it was reported in the Toronto Star that TAVIS, a program created by Toronto Police Chief Blair, operates by “targeting violent areas with officers who stop, question and document at a higher rate than regular officers”. The same report also revealed that “in each of the city’s 72 patrol zones, blacks are more likely than whites to be stopped and carded. The likelihood increases in areas that are predominantly white”. TAVIS will continue to receive $5 million per year for the deployment of police into the poor Toronto neighbourhoods affected by crime. While reading these reports, I can’t help but question what fraction of those dollars could be effective in providing mental health support, educational support or youth employment opportunities in urban immigrant communities. It still leaves me with a questions that lingers: Who says that what our beautiful children need is more police?
As an African immigrant mother with a young black son and community organizer working with the African Canadian Association of Waterloo Region and Area, I am concerned about the disproportionate rate of African youth incarceration that we are experiencing in our community and in neighbouring Ontario urban immigrant communities. In rural Ontario and in white suburban neighborhoods a youth is far less likely to become system involved than a visible minority youth in the city even if they commit the same crime. We know that teenagers who become involved in the correction system at an early age instead of receiving education and employment supports, addictions and/or mental health services and other tangible opportunities for success are more likely to commit a violent crime in the future. We also know that children and youth in low-income urban communities where most of our African immigrant communities reside are less likely to have access to the same educational opportunities and social supports as youth living in middle-income suburbs, and rural communities. As community leaders we are able recognize that our elected officials and public servants have weighty responsibilities while responding to incidences of youth violence in affected neighbourhoods. But we do want to see a balanced approach that recognizes the value of investing in protective factors that increase chances of wellness and success for ALL youth.
We need to support existing community-led early intervention programming that work; homework support programs, green collar summer jobs for youth, cultural-based community and family services and neighbourhood based youth centres. These efforts are often self-led by affected urban immigrant communities who are trying to support their children and youth. The Somali community is working so hard in Toronto with very little resources to engage their youth after school. The same kind of community-led efforts are being made in other Ontario urban centers including the Waterloo Region. Some of these programs can serve up to 100+ children on a school evening and run on as little as $5,000 to $10,000 dollars per year per site. Also in the Waterloo Region, the African Community Wellness Initiative has worked with community partners and on minimal resources to develop four community garden sites with the intent of creating employment opportunities for our youth.
No child is born with a propensity to commit crime. Research has shown that “the positive growth and adaptation of newcomer youth are dependent on the personal, social, and economic resources available to the individual, as well as to his or her family and community” (To Build Hope: Overcoming the Challenges Facing Newcomer Youth At-Risk in Ontario, Kilbride & Anisef, 2001). I believe that we need to invest more intentionally in the personal, social and economic well-being of young people to prevent youth crime and violence. Parents and cultural leaders from affected communities take seriously the needs of our families and youth and we are working hard to re-create the supportive networks that are interrupted during the settlement process. As community leaders, we are not asking or waiting for handouts, we seek and develop our own solutions for the protection and safety of our youth; and we almost always do so with very minimal resources. As June Jordan wrote in her 1956 Poem to South African Women; “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for”!
This is a mobilizing call for the voices of Ontario mothers of immigrant youth from affected communities; we need to rally in support for wellness promoting community efforts and the protection of our youth. We also call on our allies from all sectors to join in the conversation and gain an understanding of the proven alternative approaches to preventing youth violence in our cities. If this concerns you and you want more information on how to join, support or start a local mobilization for the protection of immigrant youth in your Ontario city, connect with us.
Fanis Juma Radstake is an African born immigrant and mother living in the Waterloo Region. She is also a community organizer with the African Community Wellness Initiative that seeks to increase immigrant participation in promoting community wellness. Currently Fanis is involved in promoting urban agriculture opportunities for immigrant youth in the Waterloo Region through Young City Growers. Fanis can be contacted via the African Canadian Association of Waterloo Region.
This article reflects the writer’s own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
Fanis:
I love the clarity you bring to this discussion. As an “ally”, I’m beginning to understand my role in this as one that supports these self-led efforts – I am not a fixer, but a helper.
I only wish the governments of the day could see this as part of their role and redirect at least some of (preferably all) the money allocated for prisons and the incarceration process toward the kind of work you speak of. More than that, I wish they would also re-frame their discussion of youth violence to emphasis prevention rather than prison as a solution.
Thank you for your feedback Dwight. Allies are so critical to promoting the message of our community movement. I agree that there is a supportive role for government to play in these efforts. The interesting thing is that what is actually needed in community capacity support for urban grassroots interventions is perhaps is 3% to 5% of what is being poured into incarceration and enforcement. This due to the fact that a significant role played by volunteers because the participation of the affected community is integral to the success of the efforts. So we see that community participation absorbs much of the expenses of these grassroots interventions. Critical *small scale* funding allows the programs to be sustainable, by providing resources like bus tickets for families, snacks for kids, gardening tools, summer camp sponsorships, small honorariums for Homework Support Program site supervisors etc. We have been seeing incremental changes in the trajectory of urban community stories and experiences, the danger is that mass incarceration policies are threatening all of these efforts, but we continue to focus on working towards getting the message out.
I am a board member of the African Association of Waterloo – together with community partners we run ” Africa Camp” seeking to engage inner city youth and children. The aim of camp is to:
Enhance self esteem in children of African origin and new comer youth
Offer an opportunity for any child to learn about Africa and African culture through dance, music, stories, sports, games and crafts.
Connect children of African descent with their roots and impart a sense of pride in their heritage
Encourage integration between different communities through a better understanding and an appreciation of differences
Offer young people affordable opportunities to experience the arts
This is an example of how we as a community are taking action to intervene in the lives of youth in our community, giving them roots so we can give them wings!
http://www.africancanadianwaterloo.org and http://www.positivelycultured.com
Thanks Fanis for your blog, Yes “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for”. Our lived experiences and the support of our empathetic allies will get us there. Our homework club really epitomizes that. We recently added a third location and more neighborhoods are clamoring for theirs, but we are limited in resources.
The African Canadian homework club does not wait until there are problems, but takes kids as young as five and promotes the sense of belonging they may not always have as non English speaking young children in a large school system. Seeing their parents whose qualification may not be recognized in Canada, engaged as tutors restores their respect and admiration. Some of the parents come in to work on their own English, modelling for their kids that learning is life long. Other parents make several commutes to pick kids and some walk long distances with their kids even in the middle of winter. It is not just a place to drop off kids, it is a place where community is built, where young and old learn together and parents pitch in to provide whatever we all can afford in supplies, snacks and above all faith, hope and love.
It also benefits our local university student volunteers whose perspectives are dramatically transformed, some of whom go on to teachers college. The kids who receive tutoring go to school with their heads held up high, deliver decent presentations and return with thanks to their parents and volunteers. It is rewarding, heartwarming, life on life community building.
Prevention definitely trumps cure any day, less costly, non disruptive, more humane and empowering, yet making the case for prevention is hard. But, you, Fanis make the case for prevention rather than reactionary, crises driven political shenanigans very well. Kudos
Thanks for this contribution to the conversation Funke. Through my involvement in the past two years with the African Canadian Association I have learned that the Homework Support Program models exactly the kind of holistic engagement that is community led and empowers the whole family. Our sites are based in Uptown Waterloo, Downtown Kitchener and the Laurentian Hills Kitchener neighborhood. To connect families to this service or get more information email acawraassistant@gmail.com
While this isn’t my own comment, I think it’s worthwhile to share because it speaks to Fanis’ desire for mobilization. This joint statement of community-led groups in Toronto, seeking community based solutions to youth violence, is signed by no less than 25 different organizations. We need more of this.
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A group of community organizations have been meeting to discuss the recent violence in Toronto and ways to promote healthy neighbourhoods. This is their joint statement:
As Torontonians who share a common vision for our city that is guided by the principles of justice, equality and respect for all people, we believe everyone in our society deserves to live in safe, secure and healthy communities.
When violence strikes a community, we all suffer. To end violence, our challenge lies in embracing solutions that strike at its core.
A surplus of research shows us there is more than one way to stop violence from infecting a community. The most successful way to avert crime is a concerted effort to get at the root causes of violence.
Too many young people, notably black youth and racialized communities, are being scapegoated and misrepresented. This only feeds into the cycle of violence. While effective law enforcement is a place to start, a more balanced response is needed to fix the underlying systemic conditions that contribute to violence in our communities.
Our increasingly diverse racialized youth, who experience isolation and see no hope for the future are at greatest risk of violence. Unless governments of every jurisdictional level take full responsibility to adopt urgent measures to redress the underlying social conditions of systemic inequality in its many forms, violence in our communities will persist.
We need every order of government and community organizations in all sectors to unite in an ongoing commitment to work together to build an inclusive and caring society by investing in our youth, in our communities, and in our social infrastructure.
We know what is needed — communities where everyone enjoys an equal opportunity to succeed; where young women and men are entitled to an equal chance to learn, play, and grow; where everyone has access to a clean and safe environment, with decent and affordable housing, recreational, and learning opportunities.
Toronto’s summer of violence challenges us to enact high-impact, evidence-based interventions and public policy measures that advance fair and equitable economic opportunities and create good jobs that pay a living wage, while providing support for those who need additional help to succeed. Further, we need to embrace a comprehensive, youth-focused strategy that revolves around youth-led organizations.
This final element is crucial: the time has come for a community-based approach that ensures those communities most affected by violence have a direct say in the political, social, and economic decisions that directly affect them. They hold in their hands the knowledge Toronto needs to find its way.
Belonging. It’s a simple word that holds immense power. By giving every one of our neighbours a sense of belonging, a ray of hope, a real opportunity to prosper, we can make a difference. We can plant seeds of hope, rather than allow violent crime to take even deeper root. We — as a community committed to fairness, unity and well-being — hold that power.
We, the undersigned, are united in this belief:
Urban Alliance on Race Relations, Social Planning Toronto, Toronto and York Region Labour Council, Ontario Coalition of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, Chinese Canadian National Council-Toronto, St. Stephen’s Community House, Scadding Court Community Centre, YWCA Toronto, Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, Hispanic Development Council, Dejinta Beesha, Midaynta Community Services, Somali Immigrant Aid Organization, Labour Community Services, Alliance for a Poverty-Free Toronto, Ontario Black History Society, Canadian Tamil Youth Development, Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 79, Scarborough Campus Students’ Union, UNITE HERE Local 75, Atkinson Foundation, Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change, Elementary Teachers of Toronto.
gary@urbanalliance.ca
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1237084–city-s-…
In answer to your question, “who decides” the simplest answer, though not the best one, is the voters through their choice of government. Herein lies the problem. While we know from several years of research and experience what the root causes of violence are, the root cause of questionable decision making by all levels of government appears to be voter apathy. In the last municipal election in Waterloo Region, voter turnout ranged from 25% to 31% of eligible voters. In the latest provincial election it was the lowest since Confederation in 1867, a turnout of under 50%. Politicians respond to voters, that’s the nature of democracy. Winston Churchill, the famed British wartime PM said that democracy is the worst form of government, until one compares it to all of the others.
While I agree with the concerns you raise and applaud the work you are doing, without more advocacy and pressure at the ballot box, politicians will continue to respond to what the voters tell them and not much will change in regards to funding. Unfortunately, many voters are swayed by fear of crime hyped by the media and by political parties for their own ends. Parties rarely talk about the data their own governments collect that clearly demonstrate that the crime rate is falling. That being the case, why the need for the “Safe Streets and Communities Act”? The government’s answer: because the party promised it to voters.
When the federal government recently announced continued funding for programs that helped divert youth from the court system, they failed to mention that this resulted in significant decrease from the previous year. Their self-congratulatory comments were akin to the Captain of the Titanic announcing that the band had offered to do an extra set since many passengers were still awake and enjoying the night air. Disingenuous at best.
Your group has likely seen all of this and has chosen to provide services to your families in the community, not waiting for government help. You know there is no time to lose and are doing great work that really benefits kids. As the well-known parenting expert Barbara Coloroso says, “Kids are worth it”.
However, what we really need for change to happen is for each of us as citizens to exercise our right to vote for representatives who will make the needed changes and support groups and families who are desperately trying to build a better future for children. We can’t be satisfied with roughly a quarter of our local population making the decisions for the majority. We need to get the vote out. At that point we will begin to see significant change. Then, the answer to your question will be, “We do”.
Meanwhile, thanks for what you are doing for all kids. Without caring and active moms and dads, their future would be much bleaker.
Thank you for your contribution to this conversation Frank, I think you have raised an important point with regards to “advocacy and pressure at the ballot box”. We need advocacy at all levels and this is where our allies come in. The difficulty is that sometimes we have some disconnection between what is happening at the grassroots and what is happening at the systemic levels, thankfully when forums like this are provided we are able to connect the conversations and actions.
At the grassroots level, one of the questions that we are tackling in response to the realities of the current Canadian political atmosphere is: How can we effect change for our communities while we don’t have the money or the masses? Because as you have pointed out and to echo your quote “Kids are worth it”. Some of the insights as we ponder this question are coming from experiences of people in history who were able to effect social and political change while working from the margin. And at this stage we recognize that our leadership is going to require significant sacrifice and creativity. This is the kind of leadership that we want to model and that we want to cultivate and mobilize in the community.
And I think at the systemic level, one good question to ask is “With existing resources, what does the meaningful support of this kind of community leadership look like?” I often ask myself the same question when I work with immigrant youth, because I realize that they are the leaders that are going to save themselves and inspire change in the lives of their peers, so how can I support their leadership? Recently it has come to my attention that after loosing one of their own peers this summer to an incident of youth violence, our local South Sudanese youth are organizing themselves and putting together an intercity (completely youth led) conference to deal with some of these issues of youth violence, here’s their promotion video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSP9MtWz8IM&feature=youtu.be
I value to the democratic process, but since at the grassroots we don’t have the dollars to develop a marketing or educational strategy that can shift public sentiment and send people to the polls, what we are doing is developing a narrative that individuals or neighborhoods can connect with and our hope is that through conversations and collaborations with like minded individuals like yourself, our work will slowly become sustainable. And maybe we will even form key partnerships over time that will effect change at the higher levels. I often reflect at how it took several decades after the abolition of slavery before there was general public support for the movement and years after the American Civil Rights Movement before public sentiment caught up.