This week, Vernon, B.C., city council endorsed the Vernon Gun and Gang Violence Prevention Strategy that centers around supporting young people and early intervention.
The city is among the municipalities that received money from the federal government’s Building Safer Communities Fund to create this type of prevention strategy.
Payson and Okanagan Indian Band youth justice worker Michael Ochoa were among the local professionals who advised on the development of the strategy.
They say community connection and strong identity are two factors that keep kids on the right path.
“You develop a healthy individual and they will always go on a straight path,” said Ochoa.
“Our culture and our ceremonies and our captikʷł are extremely good at teaching those values about who we are and where we need to go.”
The strategy recommends three projects including starting a waitlist management program “to prevent children and youth from experiencing additional negative outcomes due to delays in receiving necessary services.”
“It can be really discouraging to ask for help, go somewhere, and find out it is not the right door. A lot of people might stop at that point,” Payson said.
“I hope that with this and with this recommendation what we will have is people connected to a young person, to their caregivers to say, ‘You know what we are going to find you the right door, you are not going to have to tell your story over and over again. You are going to find the right person to help you and we are going to get you help right away.'”
Another proposed project in the strategy would see an Indigenous peer mentorship program created “to reduce discrimination and promote cultural awareness among young people.”
Ochoa said he really likes this recommendation and already has a group of six youth leaders to act as mentors.
“Our youth can bring other youth along with them because a lot of our teachings are about healthiness and balance in our lives, so they can learn a lot as well,” Ochoa said.
The third recommended project in the strategy is to have “outreach and navigator support for at-risk youth during the hours the Vernon Youth Safe House is closed.”
The city will be applying for more federal funding to implement the recommendations.
Vernon could receive as much as $850,000 for the programming.
The Syilx Okanagan Nation website defines captikʷł as “a collection of teachings about Syilx Okanagan laws, customs, values, governance structures and principles.”
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