Pubdate: Mon, 22 Jun 2015
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Tamsyn Burgmann
Page: S2

THREE TEENS, ONE LIFE-CHANGING PROGRAM

Surrey crime prevention program a progressive action for a city that
has been plagued for decades by drug-related gun violence

When Rob Rai and the Surrey School District opened the Wrap Project in
2009, those starting the dedicated anti-gang program plainly
acknowledged that groups of local teenagers were committing serious
crimes.

The launch was progressive action from the city southeast of
Vancouver, which had been plagued for decades by drug-related gun
violence, Mr. Rai said.

The need for the unit is especially apparent after a spate of
shootings in the past three months in Surrey, B.C., and neighbouring
Delta. One person has been killed and several others have been injured
in about three dozen shootings.

The federal government recently signed a $3.5-million contract over
five years in added funding for the prevention program that will
immediately wipe out a waiting list of 30 students.

"I don't want to sound arrogant or anything, but I think we are doing
a good job," Mr. Rai said.

"We're taking the farm team away. The up-and-comers who are trying to
get to the big leagues, we're trying to stop them right here."

These are the stories of three Surrey teenagers who say participating
in Wrap steered them from crime to productive paths. Their names have
been changed to protect their anonymity.

Donald, 18

The tattooed younger brother of a notorious Surrey gangster was
dealing drugs in his early teens because of his sibling's influence
and easy connections.

He never applied for a job at McDonald's like his peers because he
didn't know how to write a resume.

His family was briefly affluent when he was a child, but his abusive
father eventually walked out and his brother, five years his senior,
tried to resume a lavish lifestyle with drug proceeds. They no longer
had much to eat.

Teachers referred him to special programming starting in Grade 3 to
deal with his anger issues and misbehaviour. When his mom tossed him
from home in Grade 8 he moved to the corner to make cash. Things
changed with a new girlfriend, his desire to reconcile with his mom
and his entry in the Wrap program, which offered him people to trust
when he had nobody else.

"A family looks out for you and they look out for each and every one
of their other kids who are in the team. That's why they're family,"
Donald said.

He's now the first in his family to graduate from high school. Donald
earned a scholarship to continue education in welding and said his
passion for the culinary arts is his Plan B.

Terrence, 18

The outwardly reserved teenager was arrested and jailed about twice
weekly on theft and weapons allegations starting in Grade 8. He
considered himself "better" than his middle-class parents and sisters,
preferring to hang with friends sometimes a decade older who drove
nice cars.

He was signed up to Wrap and delighted when mentors bought him lunch,
but continued stealing with his crew until he learned "the hard way"
he was being used.

Terrance credits Wrap's staff for his graduation from high
school.

"I fell down more than a few times. I went to at least six, seven high
schools. Every time I'd fall, they were still there," said Terrence,
explaining how they built trust with him.

"All your friends tell you that police officers are bad and teachers
don't know. You get manipulated into thinking that way. Then after you
start talking to them and everything, you start realizing they're good
people."

He has since mentored troubled youth himself. He's considering joining
the military.

Megan, 18

The bubbly teenager wearing hot orange pants started cooking, cleaning
and taking care of her younger siblings at the age of 10.

She moved to Canada from Ghana with her father and mother two years
earlier. Both would leave for work about the same time she arrived
home from school.

She was beaten and insulted by her mom starting at about age 13
because she couldn't always handle the responsibility.

Megan tried to keep the abuse a secret, over fear she or her siblings
would be removed from their home, but finally contacted an empathetic
school counsellor. She was directed into an outreach program, gained a
mentor who chauffeured her places and gave her life advice like an
older sister.

Without the program, Megan is pretty sure she wouldn't be graduating,
might be involved with drugs and would be living a "very messed" life.
She admits to a phase where she followed bad people, doing bad things.

"At that stage I was just so vulnerable. But I knew deep within that I
was better than that," Megan said. "Regardless of what my mom did, I
knew I could be better, all I had to do was prove it."

Megan graduated and works as a hairdresser in Vancouver.

[sidebar]

BY THE NUMBERS

A look at the Surrey, B.C., drug turf war:

18: Shootings linked by police to the feud since early
March

One: Fatalities - a 22-year-old man shot dead

13: Persons named by police to advance the investigation due to
alleged unco-operativeness

20 to 33 years old: Age range of named victims

181: Tips generated by dedicated line

Extra police work over the past eight weeks has resulted
in:

1,560: Stopped vehicles

1,859: People checked

305: Arrests (not all resulted in charges, though some may come at
later dates)

94: Charges, from weapons to drug trafficking

41: Vehicles seized

54: Weapons seized, including nine guns

100: New Mounties promised by the federal government

$3.5 million over five years: New federal funding for anti-gang Surrey
Wrap Project

$270,000: New provincial funding for Wrap

70: Students enrolled in the Wrap

17: Staff dedicated to Wrap

400 over six years: Total students who've participated in Wrap
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MAP posted-by: Matt