Good morning. I'm here today as a representative of the Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad (Ndinawe). Ndinawe is an aboriginal organization located in the north end of Winnipeg that was established in 1993 as a community-driven response to the high number of aboriginal youth experiencing sexual exploitation.
It was recognized that a significant number of youth were regularly without a safe, stable living environment, which was putting them at high risk. Since inception, the organization has increasingly expanded in response to the needs and complexity of issues facing the young people it serves. Today, Ndinawe is an integrated service organization for aboriginal youth, focusing on shelter, culture, education, recreation, intervention, and support.
I am the project coordinator for the Turning the Tides gang intervention project. It is a three-year pilot project that serves to support and guide gang-involved and at-risk youth. To date, we have had 56 youth, ages 14 to 19, participate in this project.
I am here today to speak on behalf of these young people, to shed light on their realities and the issues that have pulled them into gangs.
In the north end of Winnipeg, aboriginal youth often face daunting challenges, such as poverty and economic marginalization, which restricts opportunities for youth and contributes to a loss of hope; family breakdown, which then interferes with the nurturing and socialization of children; and loss of culture and a sense of identity.
Many urban aboriginal youth are subject to negative stereotypes that include racism, fear, and stigma, which contribute to the lack of identity and lack of a sense of belonging.
Multiple barriers, coupled with serious gaps in services or problems with how services are provided, allow many youth to fall through the cracks of the social safety net and place them at risk. Youth are at risk of systems that do not value or understand them, resulting in inadequate living conditions, exploitation, a loss of hope, and tragic consequences.
Winnipeg is home to the largest urban aboriginal population in Canada. Here they account for over 20% of the population of 14 different census tracks, a concentration not found elsewhere in Canada.
This same community is home to neighbourhoods experiencing some of the highest poverty rates in Canada as well.