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Institut de Canadien Formation

1-877-889-6158

Training for People Helping People

Vision

Breaking the Cycle: Youth Gang Exit & Ambassador Leadership Program

CTI, the Canadian Training Institute, saves lives – helps people come together in urban, rural and remote First Nation and Inuit Communities – “helps people helping people” – and works with those who are often oppressed or dismissed by society, including youth and families who struggle with addictions and/or mental health issues, gang-involved youth, single mothers, youth caught up in family violence, ex-offenders, and people with physical or intellectual challenges.

We are a National Non-Profit Charity Organization with offices in Toronto and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Our purpose is to reduce criminal behaviour and violence through the direct provision of services and by addressing the social determinants of health. To accomplish this, we provide training, consulting services, create resource materials, engage in collaborative action, and undertake applied research demonstration projects. We deliver youth gang exit programs and projects such as the Breaking the Cycle Programs in the Rexdale and Scarborough areas of the GTA.

Established: 1983 | Incorporated: 12 April 1984
Charitable Registration Number: 886600-5997-RR0001

CTI is committed to fostering inclusivity, equality and life-long learning by enhancing services which assist individuals to participate as responsible, valued and contributing members of Canadian society. In this respect CTI assists in the development of knowledge, skills and services that reduce crime, promote active participation and ultimately contribute to healthy individuals, agencies and communities. We have a special interest in working with First Nation, Inuit and Metis communities.

Mission

Our mission is to increase the effectiveness of client services delivered by “people working with people”, including criminal justice services and a variety of integrated behavioural health and social service agencies. We do this through training, networking and continued collaborative action, as well by facilitating personal, professional and organizational development provincially, nationally and internationally.

NOTE: CTI is aware of the difficulties many organizations have at the end of the fiscal year. In assisting with this, CTI is able to invoice you in the current fiscal year and, if desired, provide services at your convenience in the new fiscal year. This could include any of the training programs offered in the list below. CTI can also design and implement specific training programs to meet the needs of your organization.

    For details and registration,
        call 416-778-7056 or
        1-877-889-6158
or email programs@cantraining.org

Current News and Updates

Receive current news and updates on upcoming workshops from CTI and our partners.

Breaking the Cycle is widely respected in local neighborhoods, and the program has been ranked by some criminologists as one of the most effective in North America. The Rexdale and Scarborough programs have served 278 youth who were either gang involved or at risk of gang involvement. Yet funding remains a problem.

Slain anti-gang activist had been shot before: Witnesses sought in homicide of Junction's 'gentle giant'

TheStar.com (6 January 2010)

Last month, Kenneth Mark testified at the trial of a 16-year-old accused of trying to kill him. In mid-December, the teen was acquitted. Twelve days later, Mark was fatally shot in the back of the head outside a Junction pizzeria. [...] Mark was known to confront thugs living in the area. Before the attempt on his life, he had a showdown with a neighbourhood teen who was rumoured to be carrying guns. [...] Mark was one of eight children. His family is originally from Grenada. At the local Wal-Mart, where he worked as a night manager, he was known as the "gentle giant." In his spare time, he volunteered with his community breakfast program and at kids camps. He had no criminal record and was by all accounts an activist in his sometimes-struggling community. Around 10 p.m. on Dec. 29, Mark stopped at a pizza and wings shop on Dundas St. W., when two men ambushed him. Security cameras in the area captured footage of a man police believe acted as a lookout. [...]

With roots extending back to 1998 with their Beyond the Halls research program, CTI launched BTC in December 2002, designed to reach males and females aged 15 to 30 involved with, or at risk of joining, street gangs. CTI is headquartered in the Danforth area of Toronto and operates the BTC program in the communities of Rexdale (Jamestown) and Scarborough (reaching communities including Malvern and West Hill), both deemed by the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario as “priority”, high-risk communities from the perspective of gang and related criminal justice matters.*

In a bakery near the site of the shooting, CBC's Mary Wiens spoke with John Sawdon, Executive Director of CTI, and Gary Newman, Project Director of Rexdale BTC.

Metro Morning, Toronto, 5 January 2010. Gun Culture (runs 8:14)

* Evaluabitity Final Report: Breaking the Cycle Youth Gang Exit and Ambassador Leadership Program

Chettleburg ME. Astwood Strategy Corporation. National Crime Prevention Centre (13.11.08)

This report is also available on the Public Safety Canada website.

More than five thousand individuals have received certified training through CTI. They are predominantly staff members and volunteers in residential and related programs addressing family violence, mental health, addictions, ex-offenders, and the physically or mentally challenged. Our challenge is to develop and to deliver high quality, relevant training at the lowest possible cost. CTI also provides consulting assistance in a range of areas, including organizational reviews, analysis and redesign, team building, training needs assessment, and action research.

CTI has the training you need to:
•Meet emerging accreditation expectations;
•Reduce staff injury, absenteeism, and turnover;
•Improve client and patient centered care;
•Address government and union expectations for staff safety standards proactively;
•Enhance risk management outcomes; and
•Reduce litigation

In Partnership with CTI:
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health,
William Osler Health Centre,
Markham Stouffville Hospital