The Government of Canada has announced that it is to provide some $2.9m for the implementation of “Maskwacis Youth Initiative”, a five-year U.S-inspired crime prevention program in the Maskwacis First Nation communities, in an effort to reduce gang violence and persuade youth not to get involved with criminal activities.
Blaine Calkins, Wetaskiwin MP, flanked by Chief Craig Mackinaw of Ermineskin Cree, Councillor Mario Swampy of Samson Cree nation and former Wetaskiwin MP Wilton Littlechild made the announcement on behalf of Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, at the Nipisihkopahk Elementary School in Maskwacis.
The program targets an estimated 600 youths aged between 14 and 25 and will be designed to prevent violence before it happens.
Calkins said in his statement it was unfortunate that tragic events like the shooting of two small children had turned out to be the main reason for securing the funding for the youth program.
But he expressed confidence that the program would make a major contribution to the strengthening of safety and security in Maskwacis.
Littlechild said “This will mark a day when Maskwacis turn to a new direction.”
Swampy of Samson Cree council said the program, product of years of work, was a timely initiative.
“The ground is fertile, the community is ready to embrace this project,” he said.
Chief Mackinaw of Ermineskin Cree nation said the launch of the program, coming simultaneously with the change of the name of their territory from Hobbema to Maskwacis, would help the transformation of the culture among the four First Nations communities for the better.
According to the announcement, the program is modeled on the “Chicago cease-fire” scheme, which is reported to have been successful in reducing gang violence by up to 70 per cent in some communities in the metropolitan area.
The project aims to employ the negative experiences of former gang members to reach out high-risk members among the youth in the community and communicate with them with a view to reducing victimization, re-victimization, reoffending and coming into contact with the justice system.
Key will be the work of outreach workers and so-called “violence interrupters” in ensuring that potential gang members can realize the consequences of their possible criminal actions.
Councillor Swampy, who disclosed during the press conference that he had been involved in criminal activity himself some 20 years ago, said most of the gang violence is retaliatory action and that it was important to stop the cycle of violence by blocking retaliation and finding ways of establishing rapport between rivals.
“There is no magic bullet, there is no quick fix,” he said, adding that they were hopeful that the program would produce positive results in time.
