Regional Youth Drug/Crime Prevention Forums

The Youth Justice Policy sector of the Department of Justice launched a series of community-based workshops in March 2007 to discuss the prevention of youth drug use and drug-related crime.

The workshops, presented in partnership with Health Canada and the National Crime Prevention Centre, were held in Edmonton, Montreal, Halifax, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Toronto over a period of three weeks.

The willingness and eagerness of the participating cities and organizations to find partners in prevention work was apparent. Seated around the table were representatives from law enforcement and municipal drug strategies, as well as youth workers, educators and community groups. Participants were able to share ideas and discuss the issues productively.

This ability to come together was particularly evident in the final activity of each workshop. At the end of each day, the participants were divided into smaller brainstorming groups. The groups were tasked with coming up with solutions and strategies specific to their community to help prevent youth involvement with drugs and crime.

Common themes emerged from the youth drug/crime prevention workshops. The participants clearly identified solutions to the complex issue of youth crime and drug involvement including collaboration and partnership.