Department of Justice
Youth Justice Fund

Youth Crime Prevention:  Guns, Gangs and Drugs Priority

2008-2009

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Background on Youth Justice Fund

The Department of Justice Canada administers the Youth Justice Fund, a program designed to enhance citizen and community participation to promote a fair and more effective youth justice system.

Objectives of the Guns, Gangs and Drugs Priority

The intent of the Guns, Gangs and Drugs Priority is to respond to youth involved in the justice system and in gun, gang and drug activities (hereinafter referred to as “youth”) in order to promote the making of “smart choices” by youth vulnerable or already involved in youth gangs through community-based educational, cultural, sporting and vocational opportunities.

“Smart choices” are alternative choices that would be presented or made available to youth in order to help them develop pro-social competencies and attitudes.  “Smart choices” can include issue-specific programming, arts/cultural programming, sport programs, skills development training, educational or vocational training or community involvement.  A wide range of activities can be supported under this priority including approaches that link youth to community programs that help them develop pro-social competencies, bringing stakeholders with an interest in youth together to share best practices, developing a knowledge base on effective interventions in order to address priority and/or needs or enhancements in program delivery for youth, and/or the development and implementation of models that help youth cultivate pro-social attitudes.

Individual youth within various communities will be identified by the justice system or their parents/legal guardian, and given support to resist the lure of guns, gangs and drugs through justice system-based interventions and prevention programming.

Program interventions can take place at various points in the youth justice system including the front end as a diversion away from the formal court system, during reintegration, or during a custody and supervision order. Successful rehabilitation and reintegration of young offenders back into their communities are key principles associated with maintaining safe streets and safe communities.

Funding Priorities

1. Support projects and activities that help to identify, understand and provide innovative responses to youth justice system challenges at key decision points in the youth justice process.  These projects are focused on youth with unique needs such as Aboriginal youth or youth with mental health challenges.
2. Enable greater citizen/community participation in the youth justice system, encourage partnerships among traditional and non-traditional youth justice partners, and encourage collaborative responses to a number of youth justice needs - within targeted cities or communities - by working with other funders and/or community organizations.

Eligible Activities

Eligible activities include approaches that link youth to community programs that help them develop pro-social competencies, bringing stakeholders with an interest in youth together to share best practices, developing a knowledge base on effective interventions or in order to address priority and/or needs or enhancements in program delivery for youth, or the development and implementation of models that help youth cultivate pro-social attitudes.

Activities eligible for funding support could include:

• Research activities which advance knowledge relating to youth involved in gun, gang and drug activities.
• Developing, implementing, testing and evaluating demonstration/pilot projects for youth;
• Providing small amounts of seed money to community-based programs recognized by youth justice stakeholders as having the capacity to provide innovative and valued programs and services for youth.
• The organization and hosting of meetings between service providers and stakeholders such as education, employment, housing and recreation to examine how services can be better co-ordinated for youth.
• Training and educational initiatives for service providers typically working outside of the youth justice system to assist them in working more effectively with youth; and,
• The development, implementation, and evaluation of models and/or practices that facilitate community involvement and programming at any stage of the youth justice system, such as extrajudicial measures, pre-trial detention, sentencing and rehabilitation and reintegration for youth.

Who Can Apply

Within the parameters outlined in the "Funding Priorities" section, any of the following may be eligible for funding:

1. non-profit community organizations, societies, and associations which have voluntarily associated themselves for a non-profit purpose;
2. Canadian institutions/boards of education;
3. bands, First Nations, Tribal Councils, local, regional and national Aboriginal organizations;
4. Provincial, territorial and municipal governments and their agencies and institutions;
5. Private sector organizations as long as such organizations will not make a profit on the work performed;
6. For-profit enterprises, research/evaluation organizations and individuals are eligible for funding to conduct research and evaluation activities; and,
7. Individuals.

For further information, please contact:

Eden Saraka
Program Analyst
Youth Justice Fund, Youth Justice Policy
Department of Justice Canada
180 Elgin Street, 7th Floor
Ottawa, ON    K1A 0H8
Phone: 613-941-4179
Fax: 613-954-3275
Email: eden.saraka@justice.gc.ca