Healthy and Safe Communities through Community Mobilization and Development

From 2007 to 2011, I was Chair of the Peel Youth Violence Prevention Network, Community Development Working Group (PYVPN-CDWG).   Before that I was Chair of the Meadowvale Community Partnership (MCP) for 10 years.  You can see an overview of my volunteer work on my resume.

Even though I stopped volunteering when I had my son, it is nice to see positive results today from some of my efforts.  In 2010, when I was Chair of the PYVPN-CDWG, I provided a letter of support to continue Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grants in Ontario public schools.

In 2010-2011, Toronto District School Board model schools, which accessed PRO grants for the first time, had literacy scores shoot up in 13 high schools (ref: Fraser Institute 2012 Report Card for Ontario Schools).

The "March 2012 Crime Prevention Ontario: A Framework for Action", released by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, outlines how parent grants deliver protective factors against crime including an improved school climate and increased literacy (which can also reduce poverty and build prosperity).  Education metrics also make up three of the eight indicators of the Poverty Reduction Strategy.  Further, literacy improves health outcomes (reducing health care costs). Ref: Catherine Soplet @soplet @nabrHubs ow.ly/icorE and ow.ly/jqB3G

"Partnerships are an integral part of effective crime prevention, given the wide-ranging nature of the causes of crime and the skills and responsibilities required to address them.  This includes partnerships working across ministries and between authorities, community organizations, non-governmental organizations, the business sector and private citizens." - Institute for the Prevention of Crime (2008)