Helping Our Youth
Los Angeles/ Aug 27, 2025
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh
The Punjabi/South Asian community has gone through a lot of ups and downs since our ancestors set foot on Canadian soil some 140 years ago. Over the years, it has grown from a few hundred in the beginning of the twentieth century to over two million including one million Punjabis in 2025. It is a matter of great pride for all of us that to-day, through their hard work and dedication, members of our community are excelling in every aspect of Canadian life. Unfortunately, a lot of our young people have been falling through the cracks. They have been attracted towards a life of violence, crime and gangs. This trend started in 1990s and has continued. Several organizations were formed to help our misguided youth. They have been very helpful. However, our efforts need to continue. Still a lot more needs to be done in this regard.
It is very gratifying to note that along with several of our local Gurdwaras, educational institutions like Langara College and Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) have been in the forefront doing much needed research in this regard. Dr. Gira Bhatt, Dr. Roger Tweed both of Psychology Department at KPU along with their academic partners from S.F.U. have done a lot of heavy lifting in this regard. In addition to their other contributions, they have prepared an excellent booklet to help our youth, parents and agencies working with the young people. Titled: Prevention of Youth Violence and Gang Involvement: From Research to Practice, is a practical guide for the stakeholders. This booklet is based on the extensive research Dr. Bhatt and Dr. Tweed have done in the community with the help of several of our Gurdwaras, individuals and agencies.
Dr. Bhatt was very kind to share the findings and the research that has gone into this booklet with some of us who have been actively involved in this process for several years. They include Dr. Gira Bhatt, Ninu Kang, Baltej Singh Dhillon, Indira Prahst, Balwant Singh Sanghera, Rubina Kang and Rosy Takhar. Of course, there are a lot of other people who also have been working hard in helping our youth. We met at India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas,8600 # 5 Road in Richmond on Tuesday, August 19. Dr. Bhatt explained in detail the research and efforts that have resulted in this concise booklet. We had a very good discussion and thanked Dr. Bhatt and Dr. Tweed for their hard work. All of us agreed to continue our efforts in helping our young people lead productive lives and stay away from violence, drugs and gangs.
All of us were pleased to congratulate Baltej Singh Dhillon, a prominent member of our team, on his recent appointment to the Canadian Senate. His appointment is a credit not only to Mr. Dhillon but to our entire community.
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