Pubdate: Mon, 10 May 2004 Source: Coquitlam Now, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2004Lower Mainland Publishing Group, Inc. Contact: http://www.thenownews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1340 Author: Balwant Sanghera INDO-CANADIAN COMMUNITY WORKS TO END VIOLENCE As a result of a number of tragedies and other developments in the Indo-Canadian community, youth violence has become front-page news again. Unfortunately, it has brought the whole Indo-Canadian community under a sharp focus one more time. The impact of these tragedies can't be emphasized enough: Even one life lost in this manner is too many. Sadly, the image of the whole community is tarnished by the actions of a few misguided individuals. In this context, the broader community needs to recognize that youth violence transcends all ethnic, cultural and religious boundaries. No community is immune to it. There is no doubt that the Indo-Canadian community has had more than its fair share of tragedies among its youth. We have lost more than 70 young men, mostly in their 20s, to drugs and violence during the past 10 years. Each one of these tragedies has sent very disturbing and painful shockwaves throughout the community. These tragic developments have prompted a number of pro-active initiatives to stop and reverse this vicious cycle of drugs and violence. In this context, a number of community organizations have emerged to help our youth. Similarly, our places of worship have taken on a very active role in helping our youth stay out of trouble. At this time, nearly every Sikh Gurdwara in the Lower Mainland is actively involved in keeping our young people on the right track. To their credit, a lot of young people have been spearheading most of these initiatives. One needs to recognize that the issues of drugs and violence are very complex ones. There are no easy solutions. The whole community, including its youth, parents, Sikh temples, various organizations, professionals and ordinary citizens are making every effort to meet this challenge head on. Rather than finger-pointing and criticism, we would appreciate support from different levels of government and from the community at large. Balwant Sanghera Via e-mail - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom