Sixteen area agencies are working together to address increasing concerns around youth violence.
Four years of work has resulted in the creation of the Assessment of Risk to Others (ARTO) protocol.
Angelia Kalliora, ARTO Circle Nipissing and Parry Sound Districts community coordinator, says the unified approach focuses on early identification, coordinated response, and community-wide prevention.
One aspect involves schools.
“We want to see the signs that someone is on the trajectory to harm or violence,” she says. “And we want to intervene as soon as possible to prevent that from happening.
Kalliora says it goes beyond the classroom walls, too.
“This protocol is not only about schools,” she says. “It’s about the whole community. We want to address all forms of violence within or outside schools.”
School boards, police, mental health agencies, and others, took part in a signing event on Tuesday.
The protocol strengthens how communities identify and respond to potential threats before they escalate into violence.
Kalliora says one example of the protocol being put into action could involve a young person voicing intentions to harm others.
She says instead of underreacting, or thinking a ‘good kid’ is just having a bad day and wouldn’t do that, it’s important to take it seriously.
“We want to shed light right here and then and understand why this good kid has a hit list,” she says. “There is a reason. We need to dig deep and find out that reason.”
The protocol enables timely information sharing and coordinated intervention, supporting children, youth and families through proactive, collaborative, and restorative measures.
*With files from Richard Coffin
