For 15 years, REACH Edmonton has worked in partnership with service agencies, communities and government to address the ever increasingly complex challenges facing our city.

On June 12, partners and stakeholders past and present gathered for REACH Edmonton’s Annual General Meeting and 15th anniversary celebration. 

Originally created in 2010, REACH was the product of a task force on community safety that conducted extensive community engagement about how to make the city a safer place for everyone. 

“Community safety requires grassroots engagement,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, who was a city councillor during the task force’s work, and later served as the first Council representative on REACH’s Board. “I learned so much from being a part of those initial conversations where REACH began. My understanding of the community was broadened.” 

“Safety is not just enforcement, but addressing root causes,” said Sohi. “Without that, we’ll never be able to build the communities we want to see. That’s what it takes to build a safer community for all of us.”

Addressing root causes has been the focus of REACH’s work for 15 years, working with partners across the city, the province and the country in bringing diverse stakeholders together to tackle complex problems in practical ways. 

Over the years, collaboration has been the bread and butter of the work of REACH. From bringing together youth agencies to provide wraparound services to at-risk youth through WrapED, to collaborating with police, social agencies and emergency responders on the 24/7 Crisis Diversion program, the work of REACH is always the work of partnerships.

“We do things differently,” says Jan Fox, current Executive Director of REACH. “This means honouring the strengths of each partner, and recognizing we can work towards common goals to improve well-being.”

The 15th anniversary event was a chance to bring together people who were foundational to the founding of REACH, with present partners and leaders to recognize how far the organization has come and the valuable work that continues to be done. 

“Fifteen years of REACH Edmonton is truly a major milestone worth celebrating,” said Kate Gunn, who served as REACH’s first Executive Director in 2010. “From the initial visionary role of Lindsay Kelly and Fred Rayner during the task force, to the dynamic and driven leadership of Jan Fox, the success of REACH has been its reach. Its reach out to engage Edmontonians in building connections that underpin a safe community. Its reach for new approaches to the complex challenges of addressing the root causes of crime and preventing them. So let's take a moment to celebrate with pride this made-in-Edmonton creation and a unique Canadian organization forging new paths forward in community safety.”

While the collaborative way REACH works was cutting edge in 2010, it’s becoming more and more the norm as communities across the country and around the world face increasingly complex challenges that can only be effectively addressed by working together. 

“I think we can say that in the last 15 years, we’ve become mainstream,” says Jan Fox. “People have come to see us as really significantly adding value to the community.” 

The added benefit of dedication to collaboration is that over time, this way of doing things becomes contagious. Each partnership is an educational experience that results in better knowledge of how to collaborate effectively, which leads to all participants taking that knowledge back into their work at their own organizations. 

This has had effects across Edmonton and Canada, and around the world. Through the Peace in Our Cities Network, REACH has started making global connections with organizations that are working to find creative ways to build safer communities. As a result of these relationships, REACH is now assisting a group from the city of Bristol in the UK, led by Martin Bisp, in creating an entity similar to REACH, to help create a culture of collaboration there. 

“We’re proud to be a partner with REACH, they’re often held up across the world as one of the best violence prevention offices,” says Bisp. “For us, it’s made a massive difference to what we’re trying to do here.”

To watch a video commemorating REACH’s 15-year journey, click here.