Feature story posted on October 7, 2009
| Safe Communities in Alberta |
- Partnering with Immigrant Services Calgary to help youth avoid gang recruitment;
- Funding the SuperKids program in Brooks to help form connections between RCMP and young people;
- Helping Edmonton Public Schools launch a project that encourages Aboriginal students to stay in school;
- Supporting the Chestermere Crime Reduction Partnership that works with youth at risk of gang involvement;
- Supporting the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters to offer outreach programs and intervention to Aboriginal victims of domestic violence;
- Supporting community crime councils in seven Edmonton neighbourhoods;
- Joining forces with the City of St. Albert to address crime in targeted neighbourhoods;
- Supporting Pathways to Housing in Calgary;
- Partnering with the communities of Trochu, Elnora, and Delburne to fund a shared school resource officer;
- Supporting the Burns Memorial Fund to address the needs of homeless youth in Calgary and;
- Funding a youth response team in Drayton Valley called “Mentor Connector,”
Click here for information on other Safe Communities initiatives underway in Alberta. |
Since its creation in 2007, the Safe Communities initiative has been shifting the way Alberta addresses criminal activity and social disorder by bringing together nine government ministries in a cohesive partnership. Addressing community safety is complex, and requires a cooperative approach. This partnership is now reaching out to Alberta’s communities to become a part of the solution. Safe Communities is now using Facebook to bring communities together in a common meeting space, towards common goals.
Facebook, a popular, free-access social networking website, allows users to join one or more networks to connect with others. The Alberta Safe Communities Facebook page is an interactive environment for ideas, conversations and best practices about keeping our neighbourhoods safe and reducing crime across Alberta.
“There is no denying that social media is becoming an important part of our daily lives,” says Alison Redford, Minister of Justice and Attorney General and chair of the Safe Communities initiative. “Facebook is a way that communities, government and agencies can share a conversation about what’s working and what’s not when it comes to crime prevention and reduction.”
“When we visit communities around Alberta, we see all of these really innovative projects happening at a grassroots level, projects that can and should be implemented in other communities,” added Redford. “These communities are excited to share the things they’re doing. Facebook will allow them to do that.”
For more information, please find the Safe Communities online community at http://www.facebook.com/AlbertaSafeCommunities.