Gangs and violence prevention

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On this page

• For students
• For adults
• For school staff

What is a gang?

A gang is a group of people who exhibit negative behaviours (e.g., violence, fear or intimidation), engage in aggression, and participate in illegal activities. Gang members often identify themselves by wearing expensive clothing, specific colours or jewelry, or displaying hand signs that indicate membership in the same gang. 

Some groups of friends may exhibit gang-associated behaviour and are involved in peer groups that could potentially be connected to adult gang members. Youth often form connections with these peer groups in school communities or through social media, where they may be exposed to displays of illegal activities. Negative peer groups or gangs might be observed hanging out and displaying negative behaviour in places such as shopping centers, parks, or school grounds after hours. 

Who is involved in gangs?

• Many young people who join gangs have already been identified as youth who are using/dealing vapes/drugs and have been involved in serious and violent crime
• The average age when youth begin to associate with gangs is 13 years old
• Gang members come from any cultural and economic background in both rural and urban areas
• The reasons for joining a gang are varied. Some youth seek excitement; others are looking for a sense of belonging, power, prestige, protection, a chance to make money or succumb to social pressure
• The large majority of youth who are mistakenly classified as gang members are instead involved in anti-social behaviours which, although may be serious, are not gang-related

Students

Gangs often display large amounts of cash, vapes/drugs, and aggressive behaviour on social media, which may seem exciting but is dangerous. Engaging in illegal activities in person or connecting with gangs through social media platforms can have serious consequences. Gangs may exploit young people to profit from illegal activities such as drug trafficking, possessing or selling weapons, engaging in physical violence, and sexual exploitation. All of these activities may lead to internal and external gang conflicts, debts with adult gang members, and negative interactions with police officers, which may lead to criminal charges that will impact your future. It is important to be aware of these behaviours, report them when observed, and make positive choices to avoid association or involvement. 

Adults

B.C.’s gang landscape is unique in that gang involvement cuts across gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines. In B.C., youth may be targeted for exploitation or recruitment by gangs as early as elementary school.

School staff

School staff can access free professional training sessions to support them in addressing violence and gang prevention and working collaboratively with community partners such as law enforcement. All school team members are encouraged to take the Foundations of School Safety Course, which explores the building blocks of safe, caring and inclusive schools, trauma-informed practices, threat and risk assessment, and the erase strategy.

Safe School Coordinators can access the erase secure site to find resources on critical incident support, the Report It tool, and other topics. Safe school teams also have access to the K-12 Organized Crime and Exploitation Prevention SharePoint website (secured access), which includes resources, contact information, and other supports. Access is limited to Safe School Coordinators and their teams—requests can be made through the site or by contacting your district’s Safe School Coordinator.