The federal government has earmarked $7.5 million for the Surrey Anti-Gang Family Empowerment program, also known as SAFE.
This is, of course, great news. But in no way does it let parents off the hook for bringing up their children to embrace wholesome values and otherwise not be a blight on society.
We should not – cannot – rely on mama and papa government to raise our children properly for us.
The SAFE program, developed out of the Mayor’s Task Force on Gang Violence Prevention and funded under the National Crime Prevention Strategy, provides at-risk youth with wholesome alternatives in an effort to steer them away from joining gangs and getting involved in drugs. It’s expected as many as 4,730 teenagers in Surrey will benefit from this funding announcement.
DOMESTIC SILENCE: Parents of Surrey gangsters won’t speak up
Bill Blair, the federal minister of border security and organized crime reduction, noted that SAFE was developed specifically for Surrey in response to the “urgent need for a co-ordinated approach to address gang violence and to disrupt the pathways young people take toward joining gangs and the gang lifestyle.”
You know, the stuff that all parents should be doing.
READ ALSO: To make Surrey safer from gang violence, we all must play our part
Instead, there are those residents who have, incredibly, blatantly obstructed police investigations in attempt to shield their sons and daughters from public accountability.
The $7.5 million will be provided over the next five years to 10 community organizations including Options, DIVERSEcity, Pacific Community Resources Society, PICS, Solid State, Surrey Schools, SFU and KPU.
It’s no small sum and we anticipate it will be put to good used.
If only taxpayers received a nickel for every parent who failed to do their level-best to keep junior on the straight and narrow. That, lamentably, would be no small sum either.
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