Defining and Analyzing Community Violence in Their Community: Jane-Finch Youth Perception of Violence in Their Toronto Community

This paper discusses findings from a larger research study entitled Assets Coming Together for Youth: ACT (2009 – 2015) that focused on the Jane-Finch neighbourhood, a stigmatized urban environment located in the North York region of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Underpinned by research on urban youth violence and on community characteristics, social capital, and street context, this paper presents the viewpoints of youth from the Jane-Finch community on issues of violence and turf. Data collected by and from youth using a novel qualitative methodology called the Mobile Speakers’ Corner (MSC) investigated (a) how youth identify violence and its causes, (b) how they experience and respond to violence, and (c) the solutions they offer to combat violence in their community. Our findings suggested that youth participants have a comprehensive understanding of what constitutes violence. In addition, the data revealed multiple ways youth have of dealing with the violence in their everyday lives as well as their strategies to combat the violence they see in their community