| Description: |
The First Nations Cadet Corps is a crime prevention program that provides safe alternatives to First Nations youth. This community-led initiative, in place since 2006, is an integral part of the Community Tripartite Policing Agreement in Hobbema, Alberta. It was initiated by Alberta First Nations Policing with support from the Alberta government, the Department of Public Safety Canada, the RCMP and First Nations groups. The program was designed to provide youth with a safe alternative to involvement in crime while instilling life skills that will help them become future leaders in their community. Cadets are trained in a variety of skills, and Aboriginal culture and language play a significant role in the program. |
| Objective: |
The First Nations Cadet Corps seeks to provide First Nations youth with training and community service experience that will prepare them as potential future leaders. The program’s main objective is to encourage First Nations youth to stay in school and become more involved in their communities in a positive way, while at the same time discouraging them from being recruited into gangs and organized crime. |
| Outcomes: |
The First Nations Cadet Corps program has successfully increased First Nations representation in policing. It has encouraged First Nations youth to remain in school and become more involved in their communities. The Cadet Corps has been linked to a decrease in First Nations youth involvement in gangs and organized crime. The initiative is being replicated in other communities with the support of the Alberta government. Hundreds of youth have been recruited into the Cadet Corps program from the communities of Hobbema, Saddle Lake, Turner Valley/Eden Valley, Morley and St. Paul/Goodfish Lake to date. |
| Resources: |
The program required a significant investment to initiate and maintain. Two police officers, along with community personnel, were dedicated to run and maintain the program in Hobbema, and there are ongoing operating expenses. The Province of Alberta provides a startup grant of $15,000–$20,000 for Cadet Corps programs. Additional ongoing funding has been made available through the Provincial Crime Prevention Fund and the Mounted Police Foundation. The Government of Canada’s National Crime Prevention Centre provided a community grant to Hobbema, in the amount of $1 million over three years, a portion of which supported the Cadet Corps program. |
| Pillars: |
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| Province: |
Alberta |
| Keywords: |
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| Record Entry Date: |
2013-08-01 |