Building Safer Communities Program (BSCP)

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  Vancouver's Youth Safety and Violence Prevention Strategy 2023-2026

  In November 2023, City Council approved the 2023 to 2026 Youth Safety and Violence Prevention Strategy which charts a course for how we can support young people in Vancouver to live safe, violence-free lives.

  The strategy is the culmination of a year-long engagement process with Vancouver youth, youth-serving non-profits, and public agencies. 

  Review the full-length strategy PDF file (10.3 MB)

  Review the strategy (youth-friendly version) PDF file (7.5 MB)

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  Next steps

  With federal funding secured until March 2026, we are embarking on a multi-faceted planning, engagement, and sector capacity-building phase.

  Our upcoming plans

  Community tables and advocacy

  • Bring together public partners, community partners, and youth to focus on key actions the City and partners could take to enact the Youth Strategy and associated advocacy efforts in the medium and long term.

  Network building and sector development

  • Strengthen or create youth service networks to facilitate collaboration and coordination among youth-serving agencies.
  • Offer sector development opportunities including training and resourcing collaboration processes (aligned with the granting stream).
  • Host annual gatherings to promote networking and knowledge exchange.

  Youth engagement

  • Engage a core group of youth in the planning and roll-out of the strategy, including:
    • Outreach
    • Public education
    • Event planning
    • Policy-development
  • Involve youth in the planning and delivery of an annual youth conference and capacity-building sessions.

  Research, monitoring, and evaluation

  • Conduct research to advance knowledge on youth safety and violence prevention.
  • Analyze emerging social and demographic trends on safety and belonging for children and youth. 
  • Coordinate monitoring and collective reporting across key outcomes and indicators.
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  Building Safer Communities Program Grants

  Building Safer Communities Program Grants support the implementation of the focus areas and priorities included in the Youth Safety and Violence Prevention Strategy. To learn more and apply, visit Building Safer Communities Program Grants.