Pubdate: Tue, 07 Nov 2006 Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU) Copyright: 2006 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274 Author: Rene Bruemmer, The Gazette Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) POLICE FIGHT GANG RECRUITMENT IN SCHOOLS In North End. Pilot Project Gets $500,000 Grant In the world of street gangs, elementary and high schools often serve as recruitment centres. Gang members troll schoolyards, seeking vulnerable candidates as young as 10 or 12 to serve as future drug runners or underage prostitutes. The key to warding off a youthful transgression that can end up ruining a life is to demonstrate that better choices exist, police say. "We try to give children the tools and the self-confidence so that when gang members approach them, they'll know what to do," said Montreal police Constable Stephane Eid, who has worked on anti-gang programs for the past six years in the Bordeaux-Cartierville borough in north-end Montreal. To promote those types of initiatives, Public Security Minister Stockwell Day announced yesterday in Montreal the federal government has earmarked $10 million for community-based crime prevention programs in Quebec "that support youth at risk and help to keep Quebec's streets and schools safe." A rise in street-gang related crime and a rash of home invasions has raised local awareness of the issues, said Jacques Dupuis, Quebec's public security minister. "We want the public to see that we are aware of the problem, and we know that they expect us to take action." Parents also bear a burden, he noted. "The best advice I can give is often: Listen to your children." While he acknowledged youth crime was posing a growing problem, he said only three per cent of prisoners in Quebec's provincial jail system were found to be involved with street gangs. However, eight of the 30 homicides on the island of Montreal that had occurred by late September are believed to be linked to street gangs. The new funding will go toward prevention programs that focus on community involvement, including local social workers, schools and police. As an example, Eid points to programs at the Cartierville-Bordeaux youth centre that offer courses in how to be a disc jockey. "If we can teach them something that they can be proud of, they're less likely to be coerced by gang members," he said. A four-year pilot project where counsellors will work full time at eight Bordeaux-Cartierville schools to study bullying issues and help teachers, parents and students is another example of new initiatives designed to nip youth problems in the bud. The program, part of a major research program by three universities, was awarded $500,000 in funding by the federal government. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek