A new crime prevention project in New Brunswick is getting more than $2.4 million from the federal government.
The Youth Outreach Project will work with at-risk Black youth in several communities to help them combat systemic barriers.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the project will help get to the roots of some of the social determinants and risk factors that sometimes lead to crime among young people.
“We know that anti-social behaviours like bullying or propensity to violence, along with problematic challenges around substance and addiction, can often lead to some poor choices,” Mendicino said during Thursday’s news conference.
“To get at those issues, we want to make sure that our young people are empowered to make the right choices around education and employment and to make sure that we are intervening at the right stage of lives so that we can make a positive difference.”
The John Howard Society is leading the project and will partner with organizations like Black Lives Matter New Brunswick.
Matthew Martin, executive director of Black Lives Matter NB, said the program will be a resource for youth to help them pursue their goals or dreams.
Martin described the program as the first step in dismantling systemic barriers within the Black community.
“We know statistically that there are so many barriers that exist for Black community members. We’ve all heard stories over the course of the last few years of individuals not able to get jobs because of their name or because of the colour of their skin,” said Martin.
The project is based in Saint John, but will also serve communities in Moncton, Fredericton, and Miramichi.
Martin said the initiatives under the program will vary from one community to another, depending on their individual needs.
