Keeping people safe & well

 

NCLB Progress Review

March 21 to May 16, 2006

 

• Tenants’ Association (TA) successfully completed a three-part capacity building training with Ottawa Community Housing (OCH)

• OCH has released $2200 to the TA account for community activities.
• The NCLB model was one of the few selected for display at Crime Prevention Forum on April 7, 2006. It was a good opportunity for connection and introduction of the initiative. Participants took keen interest in the approach, process and different phases of this model. Professor Irvin Waller from the University of Ottawa was really impressed. Participants made references to the NCLB approach in the breakout sessions.
• Youth Pizza Party was organized on April 12, 2006 for icebreaking, particularly between the local youth and Ottawa Police Service (OPS). The main objective was to begin building trust and open communication channels between OPS and local youth. Members of the Youth Council were also present.
• A follow-up meeting with youth from Banff community is planned to be facilitated by staff from Boys and Girls Club in the third week of May 2006.
• The Community Dinners and Homework Clubs are going well. Participation level is gradually increasing. So far community participation has crossed all previous limits in other activities at the Community House.
• The Community Dinners have so far covered more than 37 households. Participation of community members is on the rise. The May 4, 2006 meeting had a record number of participants.
• University of Ottawa has received funding for a youth physical activity project from United Way/Centraide Ottawa. Students from University of Ottawa have completed two focus group sessions with parents over two weeks to identify priority activities, the intended impact, willingness of parents to cooperate, interest of youth to participate, etc. Again the platform provided by the NCLB is proving beneficial to all service providers and other agencies interested in reaching the community at large.
• Youth needed a pin pong table for recreation during Drop-in activity. Cam McLeod from United Way was kind enough to make an arrangement for a ping pong table, which will be in place by May 20, 2006.
• Youth are having problems with the outdated/dysfunctional computers, which they use during the homework club. They need, at least, three computers in working condition to replace the present lot. Requests have been made to different agencies (including OCISO, Minto, Reboot Ottawa), but so far, we have not received an encouraging response.
• Coordinator of the NCLB attended Law Enforcement, Aboriginal and Diversity Conference in Toronto from April 30 to May 03, 2006. It was an excellent opportunity in terms of connecting to the concerned OPS and OPP staff. The occasion also helped in describing the NCLB initiative to Chief Vince Bevan and Deputy Chief Larry Hill in an informal way. Chief Bevan strongly believes in the approach of community engagement and building trust. At the Crime Prevention Ottawa level, Chief Bevan is advocating the same approach of tackling crime on the community to community, rather than crime to crime basis. The Conference was a good opportunity to learn more about community policing and complex problems in multicultural and diverse settings.
• Regarding the overall environment at Banff Avenue, the community does not seem overly concerned with safety and security issues lately. Nevertheless, the project staff personally witnessed some suspicious activities during their outreach visits to the community. Concerned police officers were informed about the developments. Tire on the car of one staff member was slashed in the first week of April 2006. On the occasion of Youth Pizza Day, door lock of the portable, where youth were scheduled to meet, was vandalized. It shows that some trouble-making elements are still around, for sure.
• A proposal to Crime Prevention Ottawa funding has also been submitted to support additional activities of NCLB Phase 2 in the rest of the neighbouring communities.

Conclusion

If we look at the recommendations of the sub-committee to the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police at the end of Community Safety Round Table (February 2006), or if we look at the key presentation at the same occasion by Daniel Sansfaçon, Deputy Director General, International Centre for the Prevention of Crime, we realize that No community left Behind is a timely initiative that is going in the right direction.

The portions where Mr. Sansfaçon's recommendations almost exactly match with NCLB approach and work are highlighted. Without the collaborative approach of the partners organizations working differently together, NCLB would not have reached where it stands today in the Banff Avenue community.

The Phase-II of NCLB — the expansion phase — will further consolidate this work. However, this is the time that partner organizations need to look at the progress they have made so far and try to build on it. As a quick reminder, the core components of the NCLB from the beginning are: Social mobilization; law enforcement, neighbourhood restoration and community policing.

Social mobilization is the over-arching component. From the record number of community members participating in the program activities, it can be safely conclude that adult population has reached level 7 on a 10 point scale in terms of mobilization and building trust with Ottawa Police Service and other partners. However, as far the youth are concerned, their participation level is good, but they still seem to be stuck at level 2 in terms of opening communication channels and building trust.

The partners engaged in implementing the NCLB initiative have made good progress in the right direction. Feedback from the law enforcement officials, crime prevention experts in academia and community development specialists suggest that this is a sound model in terms of its approach. The partners on the Steering Committee have great potential to make this initiative unique. They already undertake many activities which are – or may be – contributing to crime prevention any way.

The partner organizations and individuals now need to strategically think of building on the momentum they have gained so far to make the initiative more integrated by effectively involving all partners in multiple interventions in an interconnected way.

A quick review of the progress against the indicators set from the beginning of the initiative will give the partners an idea about future steps. There are lessons for the Steering Committee in the Mr. Sansfaçon's presentation. At the same time this and recommendations from the Community Safety Roundtable for crime prevention through social development  simply reassure the partners that they are moving in the right direction.

 

© 2005-08 South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre
Centre de Sante Communautaire du Sud Est D'Ottawa

Contact: Abid Jan Tel./ Tél: (613) 737-5115  Fax/Télé: (613) 739-8199

NCLB matters because neighbourhoods matter