Congratulations

On November 21, 2011 the following five outstanding projects were honoured for their contributions to community safety inside City Hall at the 10th Annual Mayor's Community Safety Awards:

Children and Community Safety Project

Feeling safe in your home is something that many of us take for granted. In 2008 the sense of safety for the residents of the Sparroway community was severely impacted due to a spike in street crime followed by a shooting death that occurred in 2009.

In response to these events and the negative media attention, several local residents banded together to create the Children and Community Safety Project. This project actively engages and recruits children between the ages of 6 and 12 to lead community safety projects. This includes conducting safety audits, organizing workshops, booking guest speakers and leading themed craft activities that re-enforce safety messages.

Frontlines Cooks

They say one of the fastest ways to a man's heart is through his stomach and the organizers of Frontlines Cooks know this all too well. This project, operating in the Weston community, is designed for boys between the ages of 10 to 15 years old. The guys learn about menu creation, healthy eating, meal preparation and how to shop on a budget, while staying off the street and out of trouble.

A full stomach also helps them relieve everyday stress, keeps them more alert in school, reduces the temptation to steal food and generally reduces their level of anger. By participating in the program, these young men develop strong planning, group work and time management skills, while the staff builds meaningful relationships with the participants over hot meals.

Reduce Abuse

Many victims of domestic violence are reluctant to file a police report against their abuser. There are many reasons behind this, but the Reduce Abuse project run by the Elspeth Heyworth Centre for Women provides the right encouragement and support to help these women report their incidents and overcome their violent situations.

Reduce Abuse also formed a strategic partnership with Division 31 of the Toronto Police Service. They use space inside the station to educate the community about domestic violence and also serve women directly at the station. This helps to build a trusting and comfortable environment where women can speak out and seek help.

The Gentlemen's Spot

The Gentlemen's Spot, a project run by St. Stephen's Community House, reaches out to men from the Alexandra Park area between the ages of 15 to 21 whose lives have been affected by violence, both as victims and potential perpetrators.

These young men, who are often referred to as "hard to reach", meet regularly to learn and practice conflict resolution, build positive group dynamics and develop healthy social skills.  The agendas and the conversations are completely driven and lead by the participants themselves - encouraging each member to redefine how they see themselves and to become leaders in the community.

The Weston King Neighbourhood Centre's Drop-in

The destitute, vulnerable, and homeless don't usually feel welcomed in most places. But our final 2011 Mayor's Community Safety Award recipient, the Weston King Neighbourhood Centre's Drop-in provides a safe and comfortable space where anyone can feel at home.

Visitors to the drop-in can socialise, watch TV, read a book, join a discussion on news-worthy topics and wellbeing, take part in crafts and exercise programs. They can also come in to take a shower, wash their clothes, use the computers and get a hot and healthy meal.  But most importantly, they can participate in a variety of programs and take advantage of the supports that are offered to help get back them on track.

About the Mayor's Community Safety Awards

Developed by the Task Force on Community Safety in 2002, the Mayor's Community Safety Awards is an annual event that recognizes five outstanding projects that contribute to community safety in Toronto. Mayor Rob Ford is the third Toronto mayor to participate in the annual event.

The awards celebrate projects that:

• Promote the safety of neighbourhoods and communities, including priority populations such as: Aboriginal peoples; ethno-cultural/ racial minorities; people with disabilities; lesbian/gay/bisexual/two-spirited/ transgender/transsexual persons; newcomers; youth; people with low income; women and children exposed to violence
• Help victims of crime
• Reduce violence within high-risk communities
• Build partnerships with the community, its organizations and/or the corporate/business sector while promoting safety and/or violence prevention

Award winners receive public recognition at a ceremony hosted by the Mayor and a high-ranking Toronto Police official at City Hall, a commemorative certificate and a $1,000 cash award from Bell (the annual event sponsor since 2004) to continue their work to help improve community safety.

To be eligible for a Mayor’s Community Safety Award a project must:

• Promote violence prevention, reduce violence and help victims and/or increase community safety
• Demonstrate innovation and can serve as a model to other groups, individuals and communities
• Encourage and develop partnerships in building safer, stronger communities
• Be initiated by a Toronto-based organization and benefit Toronto communities
• Not have previously received a Mayor’s Community Safety Award

Note: Projects operated by the City of Toronto’s Agencies, Boards, Commissions, and/or Divisions or by other orders of government are not eligible to receive awards.

About the Selection Process

The selection committee includes representatives from the business sector, the Toronto Police Service, the Toronto Youth Cabinet, the Seniors Forum and the City’s Social Development Finance and Administration Division. Members of the selection committee will declare any affiliations and/or conflicts of interest in regards to reviewing nominations. Each application will be reviewed using standard criteria. Organizations may submit more than one eligible project; however, only one project will be selected annually from an organization for an award.