" The South Asian Community has lost close to 117 young men, mostly in their twenties, due to drugs, gangs and violence. Having gone through much denial and blaming, the community decided to come together and do something about this matter. Consequently, a forum was held in Vancouver in June 2002 to address this issue. This was followed by another forum which was held in Richmond in February 2003. As a result of these forums and Indo-Canadian medias’ involvement, the community began to make a difference. In early 2004, representatives of various Sikh temples, organizations working with youth, police and concerned citizens came together. As a result, a broad based community organization – The Sikh Societies of the Lower Mainland (SSOLM) – came into existence. Since its’ inception, SSOLM has focused its efforts on three specific areas: co-ordination, support and advocacy. Since its inception, SSOLM has managed to raise the awareness level considerably about youth violence in the community. Also, it has acted as a strong lobby for more resources and services to combat youth violence. In June 2007, the scope of the SSOLM was expanded. It was felt that the changing demographics call for more partnerships. A number of service providers as well as Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Psychology Department) and Langara College (Sociology Department) came on board. In order to reflect the broader perspective of the group, a name change was considered to be necessary. Thus, the South Asian Community Coalition Against Youth Violence (SACCAYV) was born. Currently, SACCAYV has approximately 25 different organizations and individuals as its members. SACCAYV is very thankful to Heritage Canada, SAFA, various stakeholders and as well as the Federal and Provincial government for their financial support. If you have any questions regarding our mandate or would like to be involved, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 604-275-8977, or by e-mail at balwant_sanghera@saccayv.com. "