Ex-gang member says she was ready to die before Saskatoon's Str8 Up stepped in

Faith Eagle was deep into a gang lifestyle, her children had all been apprehendedand she was ready to quit everything.

"I was just going to come to Saskatoon and die," she said, explaining she felt that no matter what she did, she would never make her life better, or get out of the pit of alcoholism and gangs.

"I felt like I was a misfit. I felt like I was like a nobody. I didn't know why I was always wandering around in life and how come I couldn't make the right decisions," she said.

But while staying at a shelter in the city, she happened to meet someone who worked with Str8Up, a Saskatoon organization that helps people exit gangs.

Her Str8Upmentors listened to her without judgment, and showed her the possibility of getting out of that lifestyle.

"They were willing to accept an individual like me," she said.

"We're extremely successful at what we do," saidAlex Munoz, executive director of Str8Up.

He and other members of the group recently travelled to a summit on gun and gang violence in Ottawa to give some insights on curbing gang activity.

Munoz said the organization's success is because Str8Upworks with youth and adults in all areas of their lives, helping them deal with everything from addictions and personal healing to food and housing.

"If we don't have that right mix, then we're not as successful as we should be."

We must work together, we must build that hope.- Alex Munoz, Str8 Up

Right now, the province has put an emphasis on enforcement, which is one piece of the puzzle in stopping gang violence, Munoz saidbut there also needs to be more emphasis on preventative measures.

One key message from the Ottawa summit was that organizations can't work in silos, but must co-operate with each other and governments to try to build the hope that change can happen, he said.

"We're constantly driving that message. We must work together, we must build that hope."

For Eagle, Str8Updid just that, and gave her hope she thought she had lost. She's stayed in touch with her mentors and stuck with the program for seven years, and says she has no plans to stop.

"I'm going to be in it for life."