GTA Faith Alliance

The GTA Faith Alliance was founded in February 2003 as a joint effort of about 40 religious leaders[1][2] focussing on the issue of youth violence, particularly involving gangs and guns. Its chairperson is Reverend Don Meredith.[3][4]

The Alliance has modelled its activities on the work of Reverend Eugene Rivers of Boston who has utilized a corps of pastors to who have worked to create alternatives to street gangs for disadvantaged Black youths.[2] The Alliance brought Rivers to Toronto in early 2006 to meet with police and community leaders in an attempt to replicate the "Boston Miracle" in Toronto.[5] As a result, the Alliance launched a program to recruit 400 mentors who would lead 70 youth oriented after-school programs in churches across the city in an attempt to divert at-risk youth from gangs and crime.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Welsh, Moria, "Faith in ending violence; 'We are not going to sit back and let 2006 become like 2005'; City's church leaders pray, then announce extensive plan Response to gangs includes 400 mentors for at-risk youth", Toronto Star, January 3, 2006
  2. ^ a b Fowlie, Jonathan, "No more bodies on our streets", Globe and Mail, April 3, 2004
  3. ^ Award Recipients - Urban Leadership Awards 2006, Canadian Urban Institute
  4. ^ Whittington, Les, "Harper calls 4 by-elections for March 17; Two former Liberal leadership candidates Rae and Hall Findlay to run in Toronto ridings", Toronto Star, December 22, 2007
  5. ^ "Minister says city's black community must unite", CTV News, January 11, 2006

External links