TORONTO, Aug. 26 /CNW/ - "Finally… a positive place in the 'hood where I can go to be myself, and learn more about building routine and finding some direction," says S.L., who will be in the first graduating class from the Prevention Intervention Toronto program.

S.L. is just one of 78 youth who will proudly accept a certificate on Thursday after spending 36 weeks in a new program, Prevention Intervention Toronto (P.I.T).  The goal of P.I.T. is to assist in and contribute to reducing the proliferation of gangs in three priority areas in Toronto: Jane & Finch, Jamestown (Rexdale) and Weston - Mount Dennis. Over the last 9 months, the youth received job training and employment opportunities, one-on-one support from a dedicated mentor, guidance about educational, legal and social service systems, TTC tokens to get to and from the course, subsidy towards specialized training (i.e. Forklift, SmartServ, CPR,) and finally, a certificate of completion for P.I.T. training sessions.

The project, funded by the National Crime Prevention Centre through the Youth Gang Prevention Fund, is administered by the City of Toronto with service delivery provided by JVS Toronto.