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52 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday June 13, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Artscene Oakville Beaver · FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2008 Using graffiti art to combat youth crime Halton Police launching groundbreaking program By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF G raffiti is generally frowned upon by the public, but Halton Regional Police will be using it to combat youth crime. Police are presenting the Give Respect Get Respect Graffiti Art Exhibition, which will give teens the chance to create their own piece of graffiti art at the Waterfront Festival. While it may sound like an odd concept coming from authorities, the idea was actually conceived by a task force called the Youth Action Committee, which consists of about 20 teens from different schools across town. "In Oakville and Halton, I haven't seen a lot of places for youth to go express themselves, so the message `Give respect, get respect' will target vandalism and property damage," said Lindsay Wisson, a recent graduate of Sheridan College's police foundations program who runs the group. The Youth Action Committee was formed earlier this year by police to find ways to combat youth crime and foster healthy relationships between police and youths. Oakville is the first town in Halton to try the committee initiative, which was made possible by a grant from the province's ministry of community safety and correctional services. Notices inviting youth to take part were posted in community centres throughout town, which caught the attention of teens like Lynn Bedard, a senior at Gary Allen High School. "I want to change the way people see youth in Oakville, as well as the way youth treat others around them in Oakville and create more positive relationships," she said. "What is cool is that they (police) are actually taking our ideas and using them. They are not altering them." Bedard said that one of the things the committee would like to tackle is creating positive places for youth to gather, citing boredom as a major instigator of youth crime. "I don't think there are enough outlets for youth," she said. "The only place I could really chill out at when I was younger was the Oakville Youth DEREK WOOLLAM / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Development Centre. There's now the See Youths page 53 ART FOR ART'S SAKE: Toronto-based artist cruz1 works on the billboard for the Give Respect Get Respect exhibition.