As a Friend of Crime Prevention, I believe that the heart of crime prevention is through social and community development…..
As an educator, I was used to being at the front of a group of students or a group of fellow educators. Now being retired, my role as changed, I am continuing on my learning journey, but now as a student or fellow participant in the learning. My learning now is focused on developing a new understanding of community and what needs to be done to build a community of belonging for all residents of the Region of Waterloo.
As a Friend of Crime Prevention, I attended on the morning of February 8th, “What Community Means, a Waterloo Region Community Gathering” at K-W YWCA Mary’s Place Community Room, in downtown Kitchener. This event was led by the New Story Group, the Kitchener-Waterloo Social Planning Council, the Festival of Neighbourhood’s, the Multicultural Cinema Club and the Abrahamic Peace Builders.
The keynote speaker was Derek Alton, of the 1000 Conversations project. 1000 Conversations is a project of Tamarack, a charity that develops and supports learning communities that help people to collaborate, co-generate knowledge and achieve collective impact on complex community issues. The deep hope of Tamarack is to end poverty in Canada.
The pilot phase of the 1000 Conversation campaign started in Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, Halton and Hamilton, and the second phase Tamarack is looking to partner with 10 new local hosts across Canada who are interested in bringing this campaign to their communities.
Some of my key learnings from this Community Gathering dealt with:
How technology is changing how we approach community
The shifting expectations of Community – how the experience of seniors and youth compare
The Dark Sides of Community
The discussion on “The Dark Sides of Community” for me was especially enlightening, as I have been focusing much of my efforts with the inclusion work of the City of Kitchener Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee on building bridges to inclusion in our community. The “Dark Sides of Community” refers to the feeling of individuals being left out of their community because “they did not fit the mold” or that they could not be their “true selves”, so because of this, community can be experienced as a very judgemental and exclusive place for some. But, clear boundaries can preserve the integrity of a group, so no community can be all things for all people. The key learning here is that community is complicated and messy, and that it is important to not ignore this but rather to seek to understand it.
My view of community is evolving, in my previous blog post, I talked about the New Story Group and their efforts to write a new story about belonging and community. Community for me is many things. For thirty years as an educator my community was very focused on my work and family. Now that I am retired I have been expanding my horizons. My work community is still part of my world, but not the main part. Community is many things, my family, my poker group, my circle of friends, the people at the various places and organizations that I am now volunteering at. Community can be anywhere, and can involve anyone, the only thing is some connection. Connections, the web that builds is what links community together for me. I am amazed at the connections that I see when I do something in my community. It is by leveraging these connections that we can work together to improve our community and make it a place where everyone feels that they belong.
I do believe that many small actions will add up to a large action on the road to building a community of belonging. It can be as simple as acknowledging the presence of a homeless person in downtown Kitchener, they are part of our community, a friendly smile goes a long way in making a person feel like they belong. In less than two months since my last blog post, I have become a member at large on the Forest Heights Community Association Board of Directors, with the desire to continue writing a new story of belonging in my community.
I challenge you to do something to make our community a community of belonging, smile at a stranger, volunteer somewhere in your community, it will make a difference, it will connect you!
Author: Doug McKlusky was born in Ottawa but is a long time resident of Waterloo Region including his university days. Doug recently retired from 30 years with the Waterloo Region District School Board. Doug was co-chair of the inREACH Street Gang Prevention Project until it closed in December 2013. But in his newly retired days, time has very quickly filled with important work such as Out of the Cold, Nutrition for Learning, Forest Heights Community Association and the Safe & Healthy Community Advisory Committee for the City of Kitchener. And, wisely, Doug connects all his work to being an all-around ambassador for Friends of Crime Prevention – it really is about connection.
Doug McKlusky‘s writing reflects his own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
Posted on: February 5th, 2014 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
In the first part of our follow up to the Snapshot on Crime series, we shared some themes and commonalities we found in the informative, thought-provoking responses of community residents and leaders to the report – A Snapshot in Time: The Root Causes of Crime in Waterloo Region. Each contributor reflected on local data in the report concerning one social, community or economic circumstance associated with increases or decreases in crime. We shared powerful quotes from contributors illustrating the importance of individual actions, and the need for transformative changes, like changes in attitudes, in order to address the root causes of crime. There was so much to share, we couldn’t fit them all in to one blog post. Read on….
The connections between social, economic and community circumstances and crime are complex. There are often multiple circumstances that adversely impact people and communities requiring coordinated, holistic responses to the interconnected roots of crime and victimization.
For example, Jill Stoddart explains that children in care of child welfare “often come from disadvantaged families and have been subjected to maltreatment and neglect” and thus “are often at higher risk of involvement in the youth justice system, homelessness, substance abuse” and other problems.
While being young and male is associated with an increased risk of crime and victimization, Rohan Thompson from the inREACH gang prevention project says “the vast majority of youth crime is being committed by a small number of young offenders.” Further, these youth “have lived and been exposed to risks most of their young life, so participation in a gang is just the symptom of deeper more complex issues…” requiring “a holistic long term approach.”
Since “length of involvement in schooling significantly impacts participation in criminal activity,” school boards go to “great lengths” to decrease the number of residents without a high school education. David DeSantis gives examples of Catholic school board initiatives such as the “Supervised Alternative Learning programs [that] allow students to work full-time, get mental health supports, volunteer hours and accumulate credits.”
“…children and youth from fragmented households are perhaps just as likely to commit crime as lone-parent offspring. What do I mean by fragmented? A two parent family, where the parents… at the end of the day are too tired, burned out and stressed, leaving little time or energy to actively engage their children. “
“She [victim] learned that Brianna was not the monster that she had imagined her to be, but a troubled young woman who had been the past victim of rape and abuse, trying to turn her life around. Carol’s fear was transformed.”
Many writers emphasized the critical need to focus more attention on preventing problems from occurring in the first place.
Amy Romagnoli explains that many community organizations “place great value on early child development as an up-stream approach to preventing negative child outcomes…Programs that promote and offer early learning opportunities need to be prioritized, implemented and given a chance to prove their value in the long term.”
So… where does all this leave us?
First, the good news, crime rates have been steadily falling in Waterloo Region and the Snap Shot in Time report shows Waterloo Region is committed to paying attention to the root cause of crime. “A continued diligent effort to monitor and intervene in the root causes of crime is a powerful tool for ensuring that this trend can continue into the future.”
Community residents and leaders described the important work being done in our community to address the root causes of crime and victimization and to build a safe and healthy community for everyone. They shared their insights, stories, and calls for action. One of the important messages is that everyone can make a difference – so join us!
What more do we need to do? Considering all the good efforts already under way, are you satisfied with the work of the community or would you like to do more? Is there a particular area in which you would like to see our community put more collective and concentrated effort?
Essentially…. Where do we go from here? Speak up community, you’re great at this! And you’re great at making things happen too.
As a Friend of Crime Prevention, I believe that that the heart of crime prevention is through social and community development…..
Imagine neighbourhoods where everyone feels a sense of belonging, where inclusion trumps fear.
Imagine workplaces where people belong, and where respect and collaboration trump power and politics.
Imagine schools where belonging trumps bullying and streaming.
Discover, what it means to belong in a diverse community,
Imagine an ideal future where all citizens experience a sense of belonging,
Create momentum that moves us toward this ideal future
Sustain communities of belonging through leadership and innovation
John Lord, the founder of the grass-roots organization, The New Story Group of Waterloo Region, was the keynote speaker on October 15th. The New Story Group is dedicated to building inclusive communities where every community member has an opportunity to experience belonging. Our current story has:
Seniors living alone and very isolated
People with mental health issues being lonely and having few friends
New Canadians needing support to enhance their sense of belonging
In his keynote address John Lord outlined some of the fundamentals that must exist before people can experience a sense of community belonging:
Presence –this is a simple as showing up, but we have to make it easy for people to show up!
Participation – if we make it easy to be present participation becomes easier
Relationships – as humans we have a strong need for affiliation and relatedness
Building a Community of Belonging is strength-based work. We need to build on the assets of individuals, neighbourhoods, and the wider community. There are four key elements of Leadership and Belonging:
Intentionality – communities and individuals must be intentional about belonging.
Belonging Lens – use a belonging lens to guide policy
Connections – identify bridges to enhance belonging
Judgement Free Places – people need to be able to enter community spaces and not feel that they are being judged.
The passion and commitment to write a new story was evident amongst the participants. Inspiring speakers, such as Brandon Spunar, of the Connection Project, and founder of Our Common Ground, spoke of his efforts to connect people in our community, to build bridges to inclusion by connecting people with common interests with each other.
The challenge was given to participants to do something, a small thing that would contribute to making their neighbourhood a more welcoming place, something that would contribute to belonging, to do something to help write the new story. Participants committed to doing this and sharing by March with their groups what they have done. Individually they committed to start writing the new story.
Personally I have committed to three actions that will foster community belonging;
one within my own Forest Heights community,
one within the City of Kitchener, and,
the last one that has an impact across the Region of Waterloo.
As a Friend of Crime Prevention, I believe that the heart of crime prevention is social and community development, so I challenge you to become involved, do something to make our region one of belonging, be part of the writing of the New Story of Belonging.
Author: Doug McKlusky was born in Ottawa but is a long time resident of Waterloo Region including his university days. Doug recently retired from 30 years with the Waterloo Region District School Board. Doug was co-chair of the inREACH Street Gang Prevention Project until it closed in December 2013. But his newly retired days, time has very quickly filled with important work such as Out of the Cold, Nutrition for Learning and the Safe & Healthy Community Advisory Committee for the City of Kitchener. And, wisely, Doug connects all his work to being an all-around ambassador for Friends of Crime Prevention – it really is about connection.
Doug McKlusky‘s writing reflects his own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
To usher in 2014, WRCPC hosted a learning event on ‘Neighbourhood Policing’. Naturally, Friends of Crime Prevention & WRCPC have a common interest with the police on all things related to crime prevention, community safety and well-being. Inspector Kevin Thaler from the Waterloo Regional Police Service was our guest to unveil the recent sweeping changes to their organizational structure, daily operations and dispatch methods. The results are what is now known as Neighbourhood Policing. You can find Inspector Thaler’s speaking notes here.
Inspector Thaler covered:
the shift from traditional reactive policing to proactive, responsive policing that took well over 5 years to implement
how WRPS used police data and research to reorganize and realign their policing operation and strategies to a neighbourhood policing model
how the shift to neighbourhood policing allows police officers to have more time for connecting with people in neighbourhoods and communities
the implementation of the new ‘Online Crime Reporting System’
new opportunities for patrol officers to have a more engaged and lasting relationship with regional elementary and high schools
It wouldn’t be a Friends of Crime Prevention event without a good discussion. There were a number of insightful and important questions for discussion but we’d like to highlight these four as food for thought and your further comment.
Q. How can the WRPS and Crime Prevention Council establish relationships with school representatives, staff, parents, and young children, when officers are frequently changing and there has been no routine presence of individual officers?
With this new model of an estimated 40% downtime officers are given the opportunity to align with schools if they are willing to accept the long-term responsibility and if they have a direct interest in working with the schools. By allowing officers to make the decision only those who have the motivation and interest will take on the role with all of its responsibilities. The increase in downtime will also allow for more opportunities to meet with the school and the individuals within.
Q. This new dispatching method increases police presence in areas that have higher crime occurrence rates (see www.wrps.on.ca under the ‘Maps’ tab). When does police presence become harmful and insight fear?
While WRPS is currently doing research on the costs/benefits of higher police presence, officers are combating this issue by attempting to foster better relationships with the citizens in these particular communities. Rather than simply cruising or patrolling in these communities, officers are stopping to talk about more than just crime reduction. Educating and being educated, informing and being informed are all major aspects of an officer’s role.
Q. What has been the response to the new online reporting program?
Growing numbers of anecdotal evidence supporting online reporting and marketing strategies are being used to bring the online reporting system to the attention of the general populace. The program offers citizens an opportunity to report minor crimes without having to call 911 numbers. This helps officers track and manage minor crimes while reducing the overall number of line calls.
Q. Only 17% all 911 calls are for dangerous and immediately threatening crimes (as defined on the WRPS website under the ‘Staying Safe’ tab). Therefore 83% are for peacekeeping, social disorder related issues which could be dealt with by either the non-emergency line 519- 653-7700 or online reporting. How can we help the general public become more educated in regards to how to contact the police and defuse this 83% to more effective means of reporting?
This question was brought up at the end of the discussion time and prompted a great deal of input for the fact that a large number of police resources go into dealing with things that don’t need police response or intervention.
What do you think? What changes would you suggest to ensure that police are able to focus on what matters most, in an efficient manner? Share your suggestions in the comments below or join the WRCPC meeting on March 21 where we will have a follow up discussion on the future of policing. We would love to hear your thoughts!
Summary by Ryan Maharaj, MSW Student with WRCPC. Ryan recently moved to Waterloo in pursuit of his Masters in Social Work at Laurier University. Placed at the Crime Prevention Council, he has been given the opportunity to explore the role of male allies in the movement against sexual and intimate partner violence. He firmly believes that with respect, support, compassion, and education we can prevent the occurrences of sexual violence in the next generation.
This new publication from Community Development Halton is a comprehensive read for any community development animator who works directly in neighbourhoods. Recognizing that the landscape of community work has changed dramatically in the past two decades, Orr and her associates urge us to adapt our approaches with the changing needs of our communities. And in case you’ve missed it, communities have changed!
This 70 page publication makes the case for ‘place-based neighbourhood work’ and details an engagement framework (pictured below) – An Approach to Building Neighbourhoods. Community work never follows a linear process and “Where We Live Matters” recognizes that neighbourhoods operate in a cyclical, repeated fashion between all stages of the engagement process depending on the issue or situation and the people involved in the work. It’s messy, chaotic and creative work and it’s hard to capture it accurately on paper!
What I like about the model (pictured above) is that they break down the engagement process into more manageable building blocks. I can’t recall ever seeing ‘readiness’ so prominently placed in an engagement process – we all know it’s necessary – so glad to see it named in plain language. I think the distinction between social capital and social capacity is important. Too often, they are used interchangeably, but they truly are distinct concepts in community building.
The remainder of the article outlines:
the key characteristics of communities in which effective community building processes have been carried out,
the personal and professional qualities and skills of the people involved in effective neighbourhood work
best and promising practices in neighbourhood work, focusing on place-based activity
a brief history of place-based neighbourhood work
When you read the brief history of place-based work (Appendix 1), it’s easy to see how far community work has strayed from the direct neighbourhood level. “Where We Live Matters” urges a shift from the universal, service delivery approaches of the past decades, revisiting the classic community development approach of place-based work. There’s no denying it; there are unique and pressing needs in specific geographic areas of every city, town and municipality. Try as we might, universal approaches will never reach the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in our communities. The work needs to be done where it matters most – in neighbourhoods where people live, and with people who live there.
There’s a subtext to this article that is hard to ignore. It speaks to the role of traditional service delivery institutions, large systems and government social policy. Essentially… these entities are too slow and inflexible enough to respond to the needs of neighbourhoods. Often, these systems and institutions are so policy bound that they actually become an obstacle for the communities they are designed to be helping. Which reminds me of so many stories from the very wise Jim Diers who claims that government and large agencies are often the greatest stumbling block for neighbourhoods and communities.
Isn’t that upside down?
As a community practitioner and animator myself, it’s always refreshing to come across good applied research and this one is solidly rooted in practice and the experience of people working effectively with neighourhoods. The authors draw on the work of pioneers of community work such as:
Joh McKnight
John Kretzman
Bill Lee
Margaret Wheatley
Paul Mattessich, Barbara Monsey & Corinna Roy
“Where we live matters” is not new earth-shaking work, but resonates with my own community work as an animator and echoes the growing plethora of place-based initiatives such as:
To better understand the document, check out this Tamarack podcast with Joey Edwardh, Jody Orr and Rishia Burke of Community Development Halton. They lead you through this resource document including an exploration of what inspired the investigation, the important role of an “animator” who enlivens and encourages development in community, funding for work that is hard to measure, and more!
After reading “Where we live matters” I wanted to go pull the McKnight, Kretzman, Lee and Wheatley books from the bookshelf and get reacquainted with the foundations of place-based work. There’s inspiration to be found for our daily work.
But most importantly, “Where we live matters” reminds us that what goes on in our neighbourhoods and the quality of life there has the greatest impact on our quality of daily living. We absolutely should be investing in neighbourhoods.
Posted on: January 6th, 2014 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
“I feel responsible…..” These are the exact words from a parent following a neighbourhood discussion about youth, drugs and addiction. But it’s maybe not the story you are imagining.
In my work as Community Engagement Coordinator with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, I spend some of my time with neighbourhoods, working through issues and challenges that have emerged over time or might be the result of a community crisis.
After facilitating a few meetings during the summer and early fall with a group of neighbourhood parents, they decided they wanted to learn about issues of substance use, addictions and youth. As parents they were very clear that they wouldn’t want their own children to use drugs, but they needed a better understanding of why some youth would take or use drugs, including youth in their own neighbourhood.
One evening, we watched the film Reduce Speed – a documentary about 5 teens who share their experience with using crystal meth. The film is told with their voices, their stories, their reality – which is helpful for adults to hear!
The film is heavy and is difficult for any parent to watch. “Sad”, “concerned”, “worried”, “depressed”, “at a loss”, “sick”, “sorry”, “serious”,…. were words these parents used to describe how they felt after seeing this 22 minute film.
A 2 hour discussion followed and we covered a lot of territory:
how parents talk to youth about drugs and alcohol in a way that doesn’t become confrontational
the challenges and pressures youth face about drugs and alcohol on a daily basis
what might prompt youth to use drugs
what youth see in their own neighbourhood with respect to drugs and alcohol use
what might be some root issues or causes for youth who use drugs and alcohol
what can the community do and who can help
The group plans to gather again to deepen their learning and understanding and move toward some action.
Before leaving the group, I asked each person to use one word to describe how they felt at the end of the evening. “Encouraged”, “hopeful”, “inspired”, “happy”, “energized”, “grateful”…. very different feelings than at the beginning of the discussion!
But something profound happened when one woman interrupted our leave-taking to add one more thought; raising her voice to be heard above the scrapping of chairs and rustling of coats, she said clearly, “I feel responsible”. She went on to explain that, before, the problem felt too big, too insurmountable, but she gained a different perspective through the film and our discussion and wants to be part of creating a change in her neighbourhood through her own actions, together with her neighbourhood.
This was a stunning moment, one that brought a lump to my throat. To see the roots of change emerge before my very eyes is a rare thing. This woman knows that everyone has a role to play in prevention, no matter how small or big, and that through individual and collaborative leadership, we can make change happen.
I can’t wait to see the leadership, action and responsibility that this group will take in 2014.
What kind of change will you be part of in your neighbourhood this year?
Posted on: November 12th, 2013 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Social capital refers to the human connections and capacities that contribute to the wealth and well being of a community. Social capital is developed in many ways such as participating in community groups, helping someone solve a problem or by saying hello to a neighbour. High levels of social capital have been linked to reduced violence in neighbourhoods. A community characterized by strong interpersonal connections helps to reduce crime by making it more likely that people in the community will watch over the neighbourhood. A simple and widely accepted measure of social capital asks the question, ‘Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you cannot be too careful in dealing with people?’
The Statistics
Data Sources: Statistics Canada, General Social Survey Time Use Cycle (Released Every Five Years); University of Waterloo Survey Research Centre, Local Area Survey (Released Annually)
The Story Behind the Numbers
Social trust is slightly higher in Ontario than it is in Canada and it is significantly higher in the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). Similar results were found on a second question in the 2008 General Social Survey, asking how much respondents trust people in their neighbourhood. The results bode well for Waterloo Region and present an important protective factor for the community. The increase in social capital between 2008 and 2012 is within the margin of error, indicating that social capital in the region is stable. Social capital does not form by itself. It tends to be the outcome of strategic and focused efforts on behalf of local institutions including the grass roots and local government to ensure an informed and engaged citizenry.
Read the Community Responses:
Life at 17 by Karen Scian, Waterloo City Councillor, Conestoga College instructor, Waterloo Public Library Trustee, Chair of the Board for Community Justice Initiatives
Author: Doug McKlusky was born in Ottawa but is a long time resident of Waterloo Region including his university days. Doug recently retired from 30 years with the Waterloo Region District School Board. Doug was co-chair of the inREACH Street Gang Prevention Project until it closed in December 2013. But in his newly retired days, time has very quickly filled with important work such as Out of the Cold, Nutrition for Learning, Forest Heights Community Association and the Safe & Healthy Community Advisory Committee for the City of Kitchener. And, wisely, Doug connects all his work to being an all-around ambassador for Friends of Crime Prevention – it really is about connection.
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