Government of Canada invests in Youth Gang Prevention in Manitoba and Alberta

Today, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety, announced $1.6 million in federal funding to the Joy Smith Foundation through the Youth Gang Prevention Fund (YGPF) to support a project that will help prevent violence, gang involvement and criminal activity among at-risk and incarcerated youth aged 12 to 30 in Manitoba and Alberta.

Today, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety, announced $1.6 million in federal funding to the Joy Smith Foundation through the Youth Gang Prevention Fund (YGPF) to support a project that will help prevent violence, gang involvement and criminal activity among at-risk and incarcerated youth aged 12 to 30 in Manitoba and Alberta.

The project, Limitless Futures: Empowering Youth Against Crime, will help youth overcome challenges that can lead to crime and gang involvement while strengthening positive supports in their lives. Through workshops and other activities, participants will learn about the consequences of violence and gang involvement, build skills to make positive choices, and receive support to  leave gangs or avoid them in the first place.

The project will deliver weekly trauma-informed workshops in youth detention centres, group homes, alternative schools and other community settings. Community partners will help recruit participants, support program delivery and ensure the workshops complement services already available to youth.

The YGPF supports initiatives that prevent youth from joining gangs, help those leaving gangs, and contribute to safer communities across Canada through Public Safety Canada's National Crime Prevention Strategy. By investing in young people and addressing the factors that can lead to gang involvement and crime, projects like this help build safer communities and stronger futures for Canadians.