CTI CANADIAN TRAINING INSTITUTE
INSTITUT CANADIEN De FORMATION
50 EUSTON AVENUE
TORONTO, ONTARIO M4J 3N3
"BREAKING THE CYCLE: YOUTH GANG EXIT
& AMBASSADOR LEADERSHIP PROJECT"

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
January 18, 2006

CELEBRATING THE GRADUATION OF FORMER GANG INVOLVED YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN FROM A FULL TIME 28 WEEK PROGRAM ENTITLED: "BREAKING THE CYCLE: YOUTH GANG EXIT & AMBASSADOR LEADERSHIP PROJECT".

DATE AND LOCATION: January 20th, 2006 from 6:00p.m. - 9:00p.m. Humber College, North Campus 7th Semester Room
205 Humber College Blvd., Toronto,ON M9W 5L7

Toronto - The CTI Canadian Training Institute "Breaking The Cycle: Youth Gang Exit & Ambassador Leadership Project" states that the spring and summer of 2005 has been filled with countless acts of gun violence, terror and numerous media fuelled stories on gang violence. However, within this context we have also witnessed countless stories of people coming together to share ideas and personal leadership in attempting to make their neighbourhoods safer.

I am writing to introduce CTI's Breaking the Cycle: Youth Gang Exit and Ambassador Leadership Project, and to invite you on behalf of numerous agencies and individuals in Rexdale to help us celebrate the graduation of a number of young men and young women who were gang involved, to live pro-social productive lives.

By way of background information, the Breaking the Cycle: Youth Gang Exit and Ambassador Leadership Project, is a 28 week intensive training, personal development and leadership strategy which offers gang involved youth between the ages of 15 to 23 years old, an opportunity to develop a pro-social lifestyle while achieving their dreams. This will be the second graduating class of Youth Ambassadors from a program that was initially funded through the City of Toronto and the National Crime Prevention Centre. Under the leadership of Councillor Susan Hall a co-chair of the City of Toronto's Gang Working Group and Roy Cullen MP for North Etobicoke, funding was achieved resulting in the first group of eleven Ambassadors graduating from this program in June 2004. Although funding was sought to continue this project in July of that year, we did not receive approval until April 1st, 2005 to continue with this project.

On April 1st, 2005, with financial assistance from Service Canada (formerly Human Resources Skills Development Canada), we renovated and moved into Unit 215 at 1790 Albion Road in Rexdale. Staff recruitment and selection were completed in May. In June, we conducted our first two 3 week intensive personal development sessions that included one group for young women from 8:30 A.M. until 2:30 P.M. daily and one group of young men from 3:00 P.M. until 9:00 PM daily. A second intensive 3 week personal development session was again repeated in early July. Although we have touched the lives of some 29 young men and women, we currently have 21 youth in the project. Our hope is that 17 of these youth will graduate on January 20th, 2006 in completing a major step towards the realization of their dreams and a pro-social lifestyle.

We sincerely encourage you to join with us in celebrating the achievements of these young men and women. We believe this to be an enormous opportunity to appeal to other gang involved youth, to apprise them of a program that may significantly change their lives. Your presence will demonstrate the positive gains which can be made through a gang exit and Ambassador Leadership program instead of glorifying tragedy and gang shootings when they occur. We strongly believe this type of behaviour and the efforts of numerous agencies and individuals, should be actively recognized and supported.

Since June, these Ambassadors along with Project Staff have made 66 presentations to over 2,000 individuals in attempting to dissuade others from following their footsteps into gang membership and gang violence. In fulfilling their roles as Youth Ambassadors, they have mapped their life stories, developed curriculum and presentations skills and reached out to countless other youth in an attempt to dissuade others from joining gangs. This demonstrates courage, stamina and leadership. It is this type of behaviour that we need to recognize, to celebrate and to draw attention to.

The Agenda for this evening is as follows:

Canadian Training Institute,
Institut Canadien De Formation

Graduation Ceremony
& President's Community Safety Awards
Humber College North Campus, 7th Semester Room
205 Humber College Blvd., Toronto,ON M9W 5L7
January 20th, 2006
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Program
(Official proceedings start at 6:15 p.m.)

• Refreshments
• Opening / Welcome………. … John Sawdon, Executive Director CTI
• Prayer
• Canada's National Anthem…………Camella -Youth Ambassador
• Introductions
• Presentation of CTI's President's Community Safety Awards
• Program Overview………………………… Jabari Lindsay, Project Coordinator BTC
• Graduates Present………………………….Youth Ambassadors BTC
• Address to Graduates:

• Honourable Mayor David Miller
• M.P. Roy Cullen
• Winston Mapp, Toronto Fire service
• Fredericka Nickie, CTI Board Member & Mother of slain Kenray John
  

 

• Awarding of Graduating Certificates
• Best Wishes……………..Lori Anne Phillpotts & Andrew Bacchus BTC
• Closing Song
• Refreshments/Mingling

RSVP to (416) 778-7056
Contact: John Sawdon

Executive Director, CTI Canadian Training Institute, Institute Canadien de Formation
Office: (416)778-7056 Cell (647)838-1162 Fax: (416)778-8103 E-mail: jsawdon@cantraining.org