THE City of Surrey’s popular Empower Surrey Parent Workshops will return from October to December.
The free, two-hour, in-person workshops provide parents and caregivers with tips and tools to help recognize and respond to warning signs for gang involvement, minimize the chance of gang recruitment, and provide strategies for building protective factors.
According to the City’s Community Safety division, gangs target youth as young as 10 years old from a variety of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds for recruitment. Getting informed early and starting the conversations at a young age is key to strengthening family, school, and community connections and building resiliency so kids avoid the temptation of joining a gang.
Workshop topics will include:
- How to recognize and address risk factors
- How to recognize youth slang that may indicate potential for risk
- The difficulties Surrey youth face at school and in the community
- How to develop strong connections and build protective factors with children and youth
- Where to get help if a young person is at risk of or actively involved in negative behaviours
Workshops will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on:
- Tuesday, October 25: Hjorth Elementary School
- Wednesday, October 26: Queen Elizabeth Secondary School
- Wednesday, November 2: Ray Shepherd Elementary School
- Tuesday, November 15: Newton Senior Centre (Presented in Punjabi)
- Wednesday, November 16: Georges Vanier Elementary School
- Tuesday, November 22: Grandview Heights Secondary School
- Wednesday, November 23: Cloverdale Recreation Centre
- Thursday, December 1: Westerman Elementary School (Presented in Punjabi)
- Wednesday, December 7: Clayton Heights Secondary School
Workshops are supported by subject matter experts from the City’s Community Safety division, Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC (CFSEU-BC), Surrey School District, Options Community Services and Simon Fraser University.
For more information and to register, visit empowersurrey.ca/parentworkshops
