Jan 29 2005
Teaming up to save lives
By KEN HERAR
In the past decade, the Indo-Canadian community of B.C. has gone through some difficult times with the high number of young men who have been killed.This is hopefully about to change. The mainstream and Indo-Canadian communities have been working in partnership over the last few years to counteract this problem in various Lower Mainland cities.Myriad groups have been formed and incentives created at the community level and in elementary and high schools to initiate preventive measures that might deter youth from entering into criminal activity.The system has been working well in many cities like Vancouver and Surrey, where large numbers of Indo-Canadians attend high school.Along with preventive measures, educational mentorship is helping students get through school.For example, at John Oliver secondary in Vancouver, 16 Indo- Canadian students were identified as having no chance of passing. Through the mentorship incentive, 12 of the 16 students passed.According to VIRSA (Sikh Alliance Against Youth Violence) president Harbans Kandola, programs like mentorship, parent awareness and Success by Six and Safe have all been successful in helping young adults cope with life issues.All these programs, Kandola says, have received outstanding reviews from students, teachers and parents.VIRSA, a community-based, non-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors, was formed in December, 2002 by members of the Sikh community concerned about the escalating level of violence among Indo-Canadian youth.VIRSA is a non-political organization, supported by 50 volunteers from all segments of the Indo-Canadian community.Kandola says he was watching the evening news in December, 2002 when the endless stories of drug-related killings of Indo-Canadian youth touched him, prompting him to try and do something to halt the carnage.To that end, VIRSA is looking to soon expand into Abbotsford. The group has trained two facilitators and is looking for more.Those interested in making a difference can contact VIRSA online at http://www.virsa.ca/.Another Vancouver organization looking to expand its youth work into Abbotsford is United, a 10-volunteer-strong organization that began mentoring in Greater Vancouver schools in 2002, helping youth stay clear of criminal activity. According to president Amar Randhawa, the programs are working and have been a success."Our main focus is to promote self development in young individuals through mentorship and sports programs."United can be contacted online at http://www.unitedyouth.ca/.It takes organizations like these to start something and move in a positive direction that will touch so many lives. I know my generation and the generation before the current crop of Indo- Canadian youths hardly ever got in trouble with the law. Actually, put bluntly, Indian kids were some of the brightest and excelled in various sports.There are still many fine young adults; unfortunately, there are certain segments of the Indo-Canadian youth community that are involved in serious crime.I see this as a generational shift and, hopefully, the worst is behind us. I give the entire Indo-Canadian community full credit for recognizing these problems and addressing the issue head-on.And local community leaders welcome these programs to Abbotsford and its various schools."To my perspective, communities are made stronger through our relationship with each other," said Satwinder Bains of UCFV."There is always strength in unity. Abbotsford's Indo-Canadian community is blessed that it has champions like VIRSA and United to help it through some of its issues."It is very appropriate that the community addresses issues in a proactive way, rather than always reacting to concerns."Added Manpreet Grewal, manager of multicultural and immigrant services at Abbotsford Community Services: "It's a continuum of services for children, youth and parents. All these organizations, to be successful, should connect with one another and be united in their efforts."Others expressed hope - but with caution.Jinder Sarowa, principal of Rick Hansen secondary, said better communication is needed with interest groups, along with better integrative measures with students from all backgrounds.Darryl Plecas, head of UCFV's criminology and criminal justice department, called such programs "an incredibly positive step."In particular because it's driven by individuals who have in-depth understanding of Indo-Canadian culture. Plecas, like Sarowa, would also like to see more integrative measures for students, as opposed to isolation mentoring.
© Copyright 2007 Abbotsford News
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