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Hello,
As a community member you unfortunately see the negative effects that criminal behavior creates in our community and may be wondering when and how it will be improved. Theft, property damage, assault and other forms of criminal activity taking place without any serious consequences is not acceptable.
The Safer City Campaign is a Chilliwack Restorative Justice (CRJ) Giving Campaign that aims to create a safer city for all. Community members should be able to operate a business, send their children to school, and not be concerned about safety. Through the Safer City campaign, we hear the concerns of the victims and continue to
mentor offenders to live healthy lives to reduce recidivism.
As part of a news release from November 2022, Premier David Eby said, “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community. We are making changes to bring key groups together to keep people and communities safe – ensuring those who commit violent acts face consequences and creating as many opportunities as possible for them to address mental-health and addiction issues to break the cycle of a life in and out of jail.”
We have a current participant in the CRJ program who chose to take responsibility for her offence and is now facing the consequences of her actions and working hard to make amends. She has shared her story, faced her victim, apologized, and worked with her mentor to begin her community hours at Restorative Cycle.
The emotional and potentially trauma induced process of discussing the offence with the offender and victim is a difficult process that enables all involved to take a deeper look at the crime or conflict. This process is lead by trained, volunteer Facilitators and is the change needed in your community to create a safer city.
The CRJ restorative process creates a long-term solution to a safer city that focuses on the healing of the victim and the rehabilitation of the offender.
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” (C.S. Lewis).
In recognition of our 25 years of restorative action, CRJ is asking 1,000 people to donate $25 to reach our goal of $25,000.00 by the end of 2023.
The offender mentioned earlier continues her community hours at Restorative Cycle (CRJ Bike Shop). Not only is she learning a transferable skill from our bike Mechanics, she is also gaining a new perspective on how to give back to the community. After completing her community hours, she will continue to volunteer at Restorative Cycle. This young
offender is only 13 years old. This program provides her with the opportunity to make positive changes that will impact her future and our community in a positive way.
Without the support from the community, a safer city does not become possible, and more are led to a life of crime, thereby increasing criminal behaviour in our city.
A safer city requires restorative action that not only repairs the harm, but it also prevents the harm from happening again. When the community listens to the victim and supports the offender to be accountable for their actions to make healthy life choices, we make the impact necessary to create safer cities.
To donate your $25 towards our Safer City campaign, click the button below.
Thanks for your support to create a safer city,
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