SASKATOON — STR8 UP and the provincial government renewed their partnership on Friday, March 6, with the government continuing to fund the program that helps people leave gang life behind. Organizers emphasized that strong relationships and community connection are key to keeping young people from being drawn into gangs.
Community Safety Minister Michael Weger, Weyburn-Bengough MLA, announced the government’s $1.125 million renewed funding for STR8 UP’s gang-exit and support program. The money will be used for the program in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Regina to help sustain STR8 UP’s community intervention model and support people working to leave gang involvement and rebuild their lives.
STR8 UP co-founder and director of outreach Stan Tu’Inukuafe said the program focuses on building relationships and helping young people feel valued and connected so they do not turn to gangs. He said many young people join gangs because they feel they do not belong, and the funding will help staff work with them to imagine different futures and strengthen positive community ties.
Tu’Inukuafe said that he is often asked, during community presentations, why young people join gangs. He said the answer often comes down to a lack of belonging, and the renewed funding will help staff continue building meaningful relationships with youth and individuals leaving gang life, creating opportunities for them to see different possibilities for their future.
“When we talk to young people, we often ask why someone would join a gang. But sometimes we need to ask a different question: Why does that young person feel like they don’t belong somewhere else? If young people feel valued, seen and recognized, they can begin to imagine something different for themselves. They can imagine new possibilities,” Tu’Inukuafe said. He added that programs themselves are only tools, a way for people to come together. In contrast, the real impact and strength come from the relationships formed among participants, outreach workers, and the wider community, so people feel they belong to it.
Weger said the funding will help STR8 UP continue offering services such as outreach, reintegration planning, housing assistance, tattoo removal, life-skills development and support for building healthy relationships. The program is supported through Saskatchewan’s gang violence reduction strategy, which also receives funding from the federal government's Guns and Gang Violence Action Fund.
Weger said the funding is an investment in the people participating in the program and their efforts to leave gang involvement behind. He said the process takes bravery, honesty, patience and support, especially from STR8 UP, which makes sure people don’t have to do it alone. Since January 2020, STR8 UP has received more than 400 referrals from individuals seeking help to change their lives.
About 120 people received active support in the past fiscal year from the program, which benefited former participant Amber Pelletier, who said it helped her move away from gang involvement and addiction after being involved in gang life for years. She also spent years in the criminal justice system before finding support through STR8 UP.
“I’m a loving parent now, my children want me in their lives, and I’m a proud grandparent,” said Pelletier, who is now sober and employed, as the program and STR8 UP’s support network helped her rebuild her life and reconnect with her family, to finally leave her former lifestyle behind.
STR8 UP chair Dawn Robins said continued funding is essential because people leaving gangs often need long-term support to stabilize their lives and rebuild relationships, adding that the organization’s strength comes from members with lived experience who now serve as outreach workers, staff, and board members, helping guide others on a similar path.
Robins said that the program’s goal is not only to support those leaving gangs and prevent younger generations from becoming involved in the first place through community outreach, school presentations, and mentorship.
