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In March 2022, the Government of Canada announced the Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF) to provide $250 million to municipalities and Indigenous communities to support gun and gang violence prevention and intervention programs for gang members, children, young adults and youth-at-risk.
This funding was intended to support local projects that addressed underlying social conditions that give rise to gun and gang violence.
The City of Edmonton worked with community partners to determine Edmonton’s community approach for combating gun and gang violence prevention and intervention by addressing gaps in Edmonton’s system.
The approach outlined how Edmonton’s funding allocation of $4.2 million was to be spent between 2023 and 2026.
Through the Building Safer Communities Fund, cities could distribute funds to:
The City has been working with steering committee partners REACH Edmonton, the University of Alberta and the Edmonton Police Service.
In 2023, several community partners and people with lived experience were engaged to understand the gaps, needs and current ecosystem of initiatives on gang violence in Edmonton. The City hired pipikwan pêhtâkwan to interview community stakeholders impacted by gang violence in order to develop a recommendation report on how to best use the funds. Explore the input and recommendations:
Executive Summary
Eco-mapping Report
Engagement Report
Literature Review
The City worked with community stakeholders and partners to implement the recommendations from January 2024-March 31, 2026.
Based on the recommendations made in the community approach for Edmonton, 4 priority areas were identified:
The majority of funds from the BSCF were spent supporting community organizations’ projects through community grants. Under the requirements of the BSCF, grants were awarded to community-led initiatives that addressed gaps in gang exiting and prevention programming needs not currently met by existing collaboratives and partnerships.
Twenty-six applications were submitted, totalling over $6.6 million in requested funding. Of these, 11 applicants were successful in receiving funding. Applications were reviewed by the BSCF Steering Committee, with a focus on supporting Indigenous and culturally diverse communities, given the over-representation of these communities impacted by gang violence.
The total allocated over 2 years is $2,282,875:
Through the BSCF, the City will fund new community-led projects intended to support evidence-based programs for current gang members, children, youth at-risk and adults in Edmonton. The grant funding aims to disrupt pathways to violence through prevention, addressing risk factors, enhancing protective factors and providing intervention support. Successful proposals include a focus on physical activity, creative outlets and constructive conflict resolution.
Funding for community initiatives like these aligns with the City’s priorities and supports goals and actions through the City’s Community Safety and Well-Being Strategy, which identifies crime prevention and crisis intervention and safe and inclusive spaces as key pillars to improving the lives of Edmontonians.
The City continues to work in partnership with various stakeholders to share information about the current gang landscape in Edmonton and Canada. Educational material was created for parents to understand possible risk factors and how to intervene with youth positively. Additionally, community presentations will also be available to learn more about gangs in Edmonton.
Locations and dates will be shared here when available.
Edmonton Youth Gang Prevention Table (YGP Table)
REACH Edmonton is working with community partners in the development and operation of The Edmonton Youth Gang Prevention Table (YGP Table). The YGP Table is a collaborative effort to support and augment youth gang prevention work already underway in Edmonton, to improve immediate and long-term outcomes for youth at risk of or already involved with gangs.
The Table uses a coordinated approach to support its partners to build their individual organizational capacity and to strengthen the collective impact of Table partners work in supporting at-risk youth. The YGP Table does this through providing partners with access to:
In future the Table can develop a scalable model which can be replicated in other communities across Canada, facing similar challenges.
The Youth Mentorship Program is an initiative run by Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society, in consultation with the EPS’s Youth Services Section. This program employs mentors with “lived experience” to assist youth facing extremely complex barriers and help them realize their potential.
There are a number of resources available to youth, parents, and adults to support gang prevention and intervention.
The journey of navigating through adolescence is a complex and transformative experience. As parents and caregivers, we want to support our youth, to see them thrive and succeed, helping them become the best versions of themselves.
Navigating through the challenges of adolescence, where independence and curiosity will lead to encounters with both positive and negative influences, can be daunting.
During these formative years, youth look for adventure, seek acceptance among peers, and test boundaries - all while shaping their identities.
The risk factors associated with gang involvement can look different for each person. Young people often engage with criminal and gang activity to find belonging, and to fill their time.
Prevention and intervention does not need to be complicated. Engaging with after-school programs, sports or arts can help youth find purpose and steer them away from risky behaviour.
This guide aims to provide you with the tools necessary to recognize when your child might be veering off course and how to intervene positively. We can help guide them toward a future filled with happiness and success by fostering an environment rich in positive influences and activities. Together, we can support our youth in making informed decisions, building resilience, and achieving their full potential.
Setting Your Child Up For Success
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The following 11 organizations were selected to receive funding:
Project Name: ACB Youth Stabilization Program
Funding Amount: $250,000
African Canadian Civic Engagement Council (ACCEC) will deliver culturally responsive community support stabilization programs for Black youth to address unique needs and foster positive outcomes through tailored support
For more information, visit ACB Youth Stabilization.
Project Name: Taking Back our Kids: Gang Prevention and Intervention Awareness and Strategies
Funding Amount: $33,000
Asum Lifestyle Centre will host guided presentations to:
Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers will be engaged, as well as other relevant resources to provide cultural guidance and recommendations.
Program Name: Guardians Program
Funding Amount: $250,000
The Guardians Program will offer a range of activities designed to address the diverse needs of at-risk youth. Activities include martial arts classes, guest speakers, and regular therapy sessions facilitated by trained psychologists. Cultural activities and engagement are integrated into the program through partnerships with the Alwijdaan Institute of Canada and Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha.
For more information, visit Guardians of Tomorrow.
Project Name: Project Badbaadin Youth Gang Prevention
Funding Amount: $62,177
Badbaadin means “saving youth”. The goal for Project Badbaadin Youth Gang Prevention is to find remedies for the problem of Somali youth homicides in Alberta. This project will seek to address the fundamentals of chronic crime and gang-related activities to curb and reduce barriers and threats to community safety, in particular towards the Somali Community in Edmonton.
For more information, visit Council of Somali We Care.
Project Name: The All Starz Zine Project
Funding Amount: $127,357
The All Starz Zine Project will have participants contribute towards the development and publication of a magazine. In this creative outlet, participants will learn writing and storytelling, guided by an experienced editor. Through a mentorship program, select youth will have the opportunity to transition into mentorship roles, to reinforce positive development of participants and ensure continuity of the project's goals.
For more information, visit Zine and HEARD.
Project Name: Welcome Back Program
Funding Amount: $91,445
Youth who accept responsibility for their actions at pilot recreation centre sites, will be provided the option to participate in the Welcome Back Program. Eligible youth include: those in the appeal process, youth facing bans, property damage, disrespectful to staff, requests to leave, and incident reports. The program seeks to involve youth in a restorative justice circle process, whose focus is on repairing harm and providing a meaningful resolution to all people involved.
Program Name: Ohe Dream Builder Program
Funding Amount: $200,000
This after school program will place a strong emphasis on the essential skills of effective communication, active listening, empathy and problem-solving techniques to equip youth with tools needed to navigate challenging situations and resolve conflicts with ease. The program's goal is to empower individuals to build harmonious relationships, foster deep understanding and promote a culture of collaboration and mutual respect.
Project Name: Let’s Face It – Integrated Youth Gang-Crime Prevention Program
Funding Amount: $133,714
This program takes a multi-faceted approach to youth gang and crime prevention. Through a variety of activities, the Haitian Organization of Edmonton (HT-SACA) will conduct a community gang crime problem assessment overseen by an advisory committee.
Programming offered will include:
For more information, visit Hope for Tomorrow's Shade Association.
Project Name: The Sierra Leone Community: Prevention and Intervention Measures on Gun and Gang Violence
Funding Amount: $66,660
Sierra Leone Association of Alberta will organize counselling sessions and weekly sermons/motivational speeches by pastors and imams. The counselling sessions will be by appointment only, and on a one-on-one basis. Sermons will be recorded and published on social media, to the association’s website and newsletter.
Email Sierra Leone Association of Alberta for more information.
Project Name: Seeds of Hope
Funding Amount: $246,097
This program is a combination of facilitated sessions, conversations, knowledge, and experience sharing with youth to create an environment where every participant is involved and engaged.
An advisory committee for the program will include a psychologist, a former gang member, and partners from Horn Youth Services Foundation and Foundation for Oromian Culture Education and Art Services (FOCAS).
For more information, visit Sinkunia Community Development Organization.
Project Name: GAP19 - Living Skills Portion
Funding Amount: $84,800
YMCA of Northern Alberta will work alongside partners at Edmonton Youth Attendance Centre, Alberta Health Services, and Institutional Serving Schools to facilitate life skill workshops to youth who attend GAP19.
These workshops add to the existing infrastructure of GAP19: specifically, to provide one-to-one support for youth in the creation of a plan to move their life in a positive direction.
For more information, visit The Young Men’s Christian Association of Edmonton (YMCA of Northern Alberta).
If you would like to report a crime related to gang violence, please contact Edmonton Police Service or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
EPS Gang Hotline: 780-414-GANG (4264)
