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East York Strategy |
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East York Strategy |
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Various local churches located roughly along the old East York borders (Broadview to Woodbine-Main, O’Connor to Danforth) -- including United, Pentecostal, Greek, Associated Gospel, Baptist and others -- are launching a strategy of working with the Police and local government and wider community to reduce crime and create good in our neighbourhood. Together, we want to mobilize local churches to:
take action to benefit our community,
provide better alternatives for our youth,
and enrich the lives of all our people.
This East York Strategy has many possibilities, depending on the will, abilities, and wisdom of the people involved. Some possibilities include (but are not limited to):
1) Positive Play
Children and youth need safe and positive places to play and be together. This could include supervised basketball drop-ins, music and/or drama opportunities, and the like. This can be done by renting school facilities and/or utilizing church property. These positive opportunities can also be accomplished through the cooperation of churches (ie. a weekly program on Thursday, with each of 4 churches providing leadership for one week in the month).
2) Youth and Family Training
Providing positive training opportunities for the youth and their families, such as homework clubs, babysitting centres, resume writing, conflict resolution, and the like.
3)
Mentoring
Providing a stable, spiritual guide in the life of a youth can help in pointing that youth to a positive path in life. Faith-based mentoring to at-risk youth is a key part of the Boston Strategy, and has proven very helpful in revitalizing that community. The Etobicoke Strategy is also actively seeking ways to make this a reality in Toronto.
Mentoring of a youth can also be utilized when a youth gains employment; a mentor could oversee 10 youth, check in with him/her once a week, and be an advocate for the youth and the employer.
4)
Community Partnerships
While the East York Strategy is led by the faith community, it works in partnership with the Police, Schools, and social agencies. There is much good work being done in our community, and it is the churches’ desire to work together with everyone who is seeking to reduce crime and create good in our neighbourhood. In the Etobicoke Strategy, they are making this partnership a positive reality; we seek to do the same in East York-Danforth.
5) Church Links
The churches must communicate well, and work well together. Events such as our Worship Service on Sunday, June 11 can help in this regard, as well as the monthly East York Strategy meetings. In addition, an initiative to build positive working relationships with suburban churches is intriguing. Churches outside the city could aid greatly in sending volunteer teams, training resources, or financial support to initiatives of the East York Strategy.
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East York
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