“We knew it was a crucial initiative,” she said. “Somebody just had to take the lead and rally the troops.” The program combines educators, police officers and mentors with lived experiences to speak with youth about the risks they face both online and in-person. Peters said those risks had changed significantly since the program began nine years ago. “They can’t always tell what’s real and what’s fake anymore,” she said. “They see people their age apparently living this amazing lifestyle, but they don’t understand the
consequences behind it.” The program’s sessions walk youth through what Peters described as the “life cycle” of gang involvement. Speakers discuss sexual exploitation, online grooming and addiction, often through personal testimony from former offenders. “A lot of the time parents try to have these conversations, but it hits differently when it comes from someone who’s lived it,” Peters said. The expansion comes after years of mostly volunteer-run programming. Peters said staff and mentors often rearranged work schedules or took unpaid time off to continue running
sessions in schools and community centres.
Ottawa youth program, gang involvement, online grooming, sexual exploitation, addiction, police officers, educators, mentors, schools, community centres
So is this basically like anti-gang TikTok talks? Because kids already know everything.
I get that online grooming is a thing, but why does it always turn into police being the main teachers. Like, do they really have the right tone for it?
The part about “life cycle” of gang involvement sounds kinda vague? If they mean how kids fall in, okay, but I feel like they’re just gonna scare them with stories from “former offenders” and not actually teach what to do. Also parents try to talk and it “hits differently” … yeah, but not everyone’s gonna have the same situation. Just saying.
Volunteer-run for years and now it’s “expanded,” cool. But isn’t this the same stuff that gets pushed and then the funding disappears again next year? And how do they prove what’s “real vs fake” online anyway, my nephew just watches who knows what and nobody explains consequences until something goes wrong.