‘Ceasefire’ program works, says teen trying to turn his life around

WATCH: Those who work in the community to curb violent acts say they are finally starting to make some in-roads. Global’s Natasha Pace looks at how one program is working to stop violence before it happens.

HALIFAX – At only 16-years-old, Cordell Benton knew he had to break the cycle plaguing his family.

“My problem was mostly was thinking that I was going to end up dead somewhere,” Benton told Global News. “As soon as I got that thought, the first thing I wanted to do was change.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "My problem was mostly was thinking that I was going to end up dead somewhere," Benton told Global News. "As soon as I got that thought, the first thing I wanted to do was change."

Benton now regularly meets with an outreach worker and participates in Ceasefire Halifax.

“I already lost one of my brothers, he didn’t die or anything but I lost him. He’s in jail for the rest of his life. He threw his life away doing bad decisions and I’m not trying to go down his path,” Benton said. “My dad, he grew up with a long criminal life too, and I’m not trying to go down his path either.”

The Ceasefire program works with young people between the ages of 16 and 25, most of whom are male, and involved in criminal activity. The goal is to stop violence before it erupts.

“No child comes into the world violent,” said Shawn Parker, an Outreach Worker with the Ceasefire program. “They learn that over his life, or throughout his life. So we look at violence as a learned behaviour that can be unlearned,”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "No child comes into the world violent," said Shawn Parker, an Outreach Worker with the Ceasefire program. "They learn that over his life, or throughout his life. So we look at violence as a learned behaviour that can be unlearned,"

The idea to bring the Ceasefire program to the region started back in 2011. The city saw 19 homicides and 75 shootings that year. Desperate to find a solution to the gun violence, officials decided to try something new. In 2014, Halifax became the first Canadian city to implement Ceasefire.

So far this year, there has been five murders and eight shootings. While not all of the decrease in violent activity can be attributed to Ceasefire, officials say the program is helping.

“Stats don’t lie. I think we have come in and made some sort of a difference,” Parker said.

This past weekend, Ceasefire hosted a special church service in Halifax. The idea was to bring the community together and teach people of all ages there are always non-violent ways to handle things.

“We don’t have to resort to a violence to solve a problem. Let’s sit down and let’s talk. Most of the time it’s really over pettiness,” said Parker.

The Ceasefire program was first launched in Chicago in 2000. Since then, it has spread to other major cities in the United States, including New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore.