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Feds spend $151,000 on crime prevention

Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 14/03) - Twelve community-based projects that deal with the root causes of crime are underway in the territory.

The federal government is currently spending $151,000 on grassroots projects that intervene early to stop kids from becoming criminals and victims.

According to a list of projects, the funding amounts vary from $702 given to the Girl Guides in Fort Simpson to $25,000 to the Status of Women Council of the NWT.

With its share of the pie, the council is developing an action plan to address family violence.

Members of the legislature, aboriginal leaders, non-profit organizations recently signed an agreement backing the plan's development.

Executive director Barbara Saunders said the plan will outline "what needs to be done if we're to make any progress at all."

Side Door Ministries received slightly less - $20,000 - to help people pass an entrance exam so they can enter an apprenticeship.

Students get to work with a teacher one-on-one.

"A lot of students we get have had difficulty in classroom situations before," said the program's director, A.J. Sanders. "It doesn't really suit their learning style."

Sixteen kids have enrolled in the program since its start last April.

One student passed the exam and is on his way to becoming a carpenter. Another is almost ready to take the exam.

"We've had a lot of people drop out, but that's standard for programs of this nature in the first couple years," said Sanders.

"We haven't necessarily met what we hoped for, but it's being considered a success."

Other programs across the territory include a fiddling workshop for Metis youth and a focus group where at-risk youth brainstorm ideas for helping other troubled youth.

"I'm very proud of the effect these projects have," said Western Arctic Liberal MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew at a press conference about the projects on Monday in Yellowknife.

She added: "Sometimes the smaller projects are just as meaningful."