VANCOUVER City Council on Tuesday approved the 2023-2026 Youth Safety and Violence Prevention Strategy, an initiative supported by a four-year $4.3 million contribution agreement from the Building Safer Communities Fund, administered by the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada.
As part of the City’s ongoing commitment to public safety, this multi-year strategy will support community-based prevention and intervention strategies tackling youth violence in the City, as well as promote individual and community well‐being, safety and belonging in Vancouver, via community-based research, collaboration and a new granting program.
“Today’s approval of the Youth Safety and Violence Prevention Strategy marks a significant step in our ongoing commitment to creating a safer city where our youth can thrive,” said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim. “I’d like to thank the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada for partnering with us in this initiative. We are proud to work with senior government to create environments where youth in our communities feel safe, valued and equipped to succeed.”
To support the implementation of the Strategy, the City will administer the Building Safer Communities Vancouver Grants Program. Three new federal funding supported grant streams will support youth-serving organizations to build the capacity of the sector, deliver early violence prevention programs and support youth action projects in alignment with the proposed strategy. The City will begin accepting applications for the various funding streams in late Fall 2023, and more information about the application process can be found online on November 16.
The three grant streams include:
– BSCP Organizational and Youth Sector Capacity Building project grants
– BSCP Youth Violence Prevention program grants
– BSCP Youth Engagement project grants
Council noted that youth violence is a Canada-wide problem, and that sustained federal resources are required to best address this critical issue. Council amended the original report, presented by City staff on October 18, calling for federal funding beyond 2026 to ensure the continuation of the strategy.
The Youth Safety and Violence Prevention strategy envisions a city in which youth feel safe, supported, connected, healthy and free of violence. It aims to address root causes of youth violence and identify community responses that effectively prevent its occurrence and recurrence.
The Building Safer Communities Fund is a Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada and serves as a contribution program that provides municipalities with funding to develop youth violence prevention strategies and to support community-based interventions to implement these strategies. The primary objectives of the federal program include:
– Supporting municipalities to develop community-based prevention and intervention plans.
– Increasing the knowledge of the nature, scope and challenges of gun and gang violence affecting youth.
– Supporting recipients to develop a plan to sustain successful prevention and intervention models.
