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COLUMN
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YOUTH GANG VIOLENCE - HOW THE INDO-CANADIAN COMMUNITY IS COMBATING THIS PROBLEM |
By HARBANS SINGH KANDOLA, President of VIRSA
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I have read with great interest the recent articles on gang violence in B.C. in The Province newspaper. These articles are very informative. Addressing youth gang violence among Indo-Canadian youth has become my passion over the past several years.
The stories in The Province have confirmed my understanding that there are clear reasons or risk factors behind a young man's involvement in the gang lifestyle. These risk factors are now well recognized and understood. Over the past 10 years there have been many forums and research reports on this issue with concrete recommendations. Research shows that results will come from programs developed in consultation with the communities and delivered by grassroots organizations in the languages of the community and in a culturally sensitive manner. Communities know best what the solutions are.
Dr. Michael Chatlleburgh says that the solutions start with the community becoming aware and realizing the problem. This is exactly what has happened in the Indo-Canadian community. Over the past five years parents, community leaders and community members have become very aware of the problem. We have achieved this through parenting programs and education and awareness via radio, T.V. and print media. The whole community is making efforts in their own way to find and implement solutions. Experts also tell us that the community needs to connect with youth through mentorship and youth outreach programs. Several organizations in the community are reaching out to youth both for prevention and intervention through these programs. The South Asian Community Coalition is now in the process of establishing a 24-hour help line for family counseling service. In 2005, the B.C. Gang Task Force was established due to community pressure.
As a result of all this progress, it is no surprise that there has been no gang related murder among Indo-Canadian youth since March last year. There have been one or two isolated shootings, but that was far more frequent an occurrence a few years back. I am disappointed that the media has paid little attention to the effort and progress that has been made by the Indo-Canadian community, while in the event that there is a gang murder among Indo-Canadian youth, it will certainly make headlines in the Vancouver Sun and The Province.
I suggest that to combat gang violence the government will be best advised to work far more closely with the communities, who indeed know better. As a result we will get better results from the taxpayers dollars.
Harbans Kandola can be reached at Harbans_kandola@shaw.ca
www.virsa.ca
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