End Gang Life presentations coming to Penticton and South Okanagan area

On January 11th and 12th, 2017, Staff Sergeant Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit – BC will be bringing End Gang Life to the South Okanagan. 

Led and developed by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia, End Gang Life is a comprehensive gang education, prevention, and awareness initiative that uses bold, emotional images and messages to:

• Engage the public about gangs;
• Provide material that educates the public about gangs;
• Prevent youth and young adults from joining gangs;
• Encourage those involved in gang life to exit.

S/Sgt. Houghton provides a glimpse into the gang world from a police perspective. The audience will be informed about some of the most prevailing myths and realities surrounding gang life affecting youth and young adults in our province. S/Sgt. Houghton will lead the audience through the myths and realities by discussing the real-life cases of B.C. gang members and victims of gang violence, discussing not only how they lived, but in many cases how they died as well and how their involvement in gangs affected their friends, families, and communities.

The second half of the presentation focuses on a lived experience within the gang world of British Columbia from the perspective of Jordan Buna, a former gang-involved young man. Beginning as early as grade 6, Mr Buna walks the audience through his early years in school as well as his adult years in gangs, with the focus of the presentation on the choices we all face in our day-to-day lives. Through personal experience, Mr. Buna highlights not only his negative choices, but his positive ones as well, choices which ultimately took him from the prison cell, all the way back to earning a university education and has afforded him the opportunity to help change the lives of young people through his unique and powerful message.

Presentations will be at Osoyoos Secondary School at 9:45 a.m and Outma school on PIB at 1:45 p.m. on January 11th and Princess Margaret at 9:45 a.m. and Penticton Secondary at 1:40 p.m. on January 12th.