By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle
Oliver is seeking $1.1 million to prevent crime by targeting at-risk youth with recreation and social programs.
The town agreed on a five-year plan that includes implementing programs like a park ambassador program, a youth mural project, and a part-time youth coordinator with the intention of preventing crime by providing at-risk youth with social connections.
The National Crime Prevention Strategy Grant has approximately $123 million set aside for municipalities to use towards community safety. They describe safety as associated with things like food security, housing, parks and recreation, relationships, healthy youth development, etc.
The $1.1 million ask would be split up over a five-year period that includes multiple projects aimed at increasing youth connections within the community.
Among the programs being eyed is a planned Park Ambassador Program where the town has determined costs associated with setting up an office in Lion’s Park with equipment to support youth using the park. This includes the potential to offer courses in the park to eventually generate revenue. The estimated cost of this would be $65,000 over five years.
The plan also includes supporting youth exploring outdoor recreation at a cost of $55,000 over five years. The town would purchase equipment and provide transportation to outdoor recreational places such as Mount Baldy and the McKinney Nordic Ski Club.
There was also a discussion of a mural project to help youth connect with the arts. Adam Goodwin, the town’s project coordinator explained money would be set aside to build a wall by the basketball courts in the Oliver Community Park and allow the youth to paint a mural that “they can be proud of”.
The plan also includes $300,000 in funding over five years for a youth coordinator to encourage youth-driven activities and projects in the community.
Goodwin explained that all the various projects contained within the five-year plan are tied to the town’s Recreation Plan, the Social Development Plan, or the Grow Oliver Plan.
He further explained that these programs won’t be geared towards all youth but are “intended for youth that aren’t connected”.
“These would be youth that typically might not participate in recreation opportunities that are showing higher levels of risk factors.”
The town would try implementing these programs with partners to get the youth “connected to recreation activities, other youth and adults in the community and to give them new opportunities,” Goodwin explained.
The purpose of these new opportunities would be to enhance youth connections in Oliver through social connections, connections to services, connections to art and recreation, and connections to leadership opportunities.
Goodwin pointed to the fact that the town has seen some “youth showing risk factors”, such as vaping, alcohol, and drug paraphernalia around the town’s baseball diamonds.
Mayor Martin Johansen thought the plan was a great idea, “I think it’s a win-win situation here, that’s a lot of money they (the government) are willing to put into this, crime prevention is getting youth engaged before they get into trouble and that is when you are really going to have an impact on people.”
Goodwin explained that the five-year plan is a sort of “business case” for the town to find partnerships and local support to hopefully set a foundation to continue on after the government grant money runs out.
When it comes to the sustainability of the project going forward, “part of this work is to build a network that is focused on youth so while the specific activities may change after five years, new opportunities may emerge through the new community-driven network.”
Councillor Petra Veintimilla picked up on this and noted her support by saying “It’s a bit unique that we would have so many years to kind of try things out, see what sticks, see where there is potential for community partnerships or longer-term sustainable funding.”
