FOUNDATION GETS $1.6M TO HELP KEEP KIDS OUT OF GANGS

A WINNIPEG charity that works to combat exploitation is getting a financial boost from the federal government to help prevent youth gang involvement and violence.

Federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced Thursday the Joy Smith Foundation will receive $1.6 million to support a project to prevent violence, gang involvement and criminal activity among at-risk and incarcerated youth.

The project, dubbed Limitless Futures: Empowering Youth Against Crime, aims to help youth aged 12 to 30 in Manitoba and Alberta overcome challenges that can lead to crime and gang involvement.

It will deliver weekly trauma-informed workshops in youth detention centres, group homes, alternative schools and other community settings.

The foundation, founded in 2011, is a national charity that works to combat human trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labour.