One of the AT-CURA project's foundational goals is to work with community members and establishments, fostering valuable relationships among those with similar aims of supporting youth resilience, preventing youth violence and strengthening community ties.
AT recognizes that there is strength in numbers that are united by shared values and missions. Therefore, a wide range of academic and community partners are working together under the umbrella of AT, allowing those involved to make long-lasting connections, to learn from one another, and to strive towards achieving shared goals. Likewise, in many instances AT has provided support for its partners' initiatives.
To promote knowledge and encourage positive community involvement, some community programs which are not associated with AT but which are related to AT's focus are also included in this website.
The uniquely collaborative aspect of the project, combined with the focus on positive youth qualities, helped set the initiative apart from other gang-related research proposals when the idea was awarded a $1 million grant by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in 2008.
Collaborative functions of the project include:
- Research, through surveys, focus groups and one-on-one interviews with various community members
- Steering committee meetings that bring together a range of local organizations with like-minded goals
- Support for events that are resilience-promoting or that reflect issues related to the project
- Training and education initiatives that strengthen community ties and benefit participants
- A team of 12 community partners and nine academic researchers from four post-secondary institutions
- This website, through sharing information about youth violence issues, news, community events, local programs, community partners, and other resources