1 Youth, Gangs and Guns for Montreal Interveners Intervention

2 Risk Factors: Youth Violence  aggression, anti-social behaviour  family violence  poor parenting: lack of emotional interaction, lack of parental supervision, inconsistent, harsh discipline  impulsivity, desire for power, imitative

3 Risk Factors: Youth Gangs (emergence or continuation)  Socio-economic : poverty and unemployment, actual or perceived disadvantage  Family-related: dysfunctional, abusive or negligent family  School: poor academic performance, low attachment to schools  Community: disorganised, crime-prone and unsafe factors that contribute to marginalization of youth  Negative individual/biological factors: anti- social attitudes, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

4 Risk factors: Girl’s involvement in street gangs Come from poverty Live in inner-city areas and areas of high crime Be young, single, unemployed, undereducated Have suffered personal abuse- sexual or physical Be or have been involved in the child welfare system Have been involved in criminal acts

5 Youth Access to Guns  Home is where majority of gun death and accidents take place  24% of Quebec homes have guns  33% guns not safely stored  Long guns:hunters in family  Handguns: illegal or restricted weapon (ie children of police, military)

6 Intervention: Stakeholder Roles  Must understand Risks  Must take preventative action- voluntary removal of firearms; counseling; legal interventions  Must raise general community awareness of problem and solutions

7 Intervention: Target Audiences  Parents and families: understand the risks and take appropriate action  Guidance Counselors and teachers: know the signs, provide counseling, intervene  Social workers, youth workers: know the risks, intervene  Police: identify risks, intervene  Communities-report potential problem  Health care professionals: know the signs, provide counselling, intervene

8 Intervention: Possible Goals for Community  Create opportunities for youth  Reducing the availability of firearms  Encouraging reporting on illegal guns  Reinforcing police and community links  Stigmatization: Encouraging youth to think twice before they pick up a gun or help procure or store a gun  Gun collection programs  Mobilize collective will for making communities safer

9 Opportunity areas  Increase awareness of risks of firearms and firearms offenses use elders – “scared straight” Q: Thoughts?  Consider “firearms” into other violence prevention and community strategies  Raise awareness of parents – faith groups Q: Role of church in the community?

10 Intervention:School/Family  Identify at risk youth  Support parents of troubled youth re: access to guns at home or elsewhere (family members, friends, neighbours)  Assist in mechanisms to remove/turn in guns  Q: are guns a subject of discussion?

Stigmatize Guns  Eg. Viva Rio “ Choose your gun or me” Exploit the gender differences in attitudes to guns, ensure girls and women understand the risks, destigmatize guns Q: role of girls?  Eg. Music/Arts responses Exploit peace/non-violence traditions in pop culture, mobilize role models Q: Messengers? Messages? 11

Weapons collection  Use intermediaries – church, defense lawyers – to collect weapons  Ensure easy to provide information 12

Community based policing  Eg. Project Trident, ensure better linkages with community, two way communication, support for recreation, education and job creation 13

Improve success in school  Eg. Pathways to learning – partnerships with CEGEPS and Universities to provide opportunities for youth  Eg. Culturally appropriate education and awareness  Eg. Increased support for youth at risk – mentoring, tutoring, etc. 14

15 Next Steps  Suggestions- what works in your organisation  Are there current initiatives - programs, interventions for school professionals where guns could be included  Resource materials  Contacts