VANCOUVER -- A non-profit organization led by Vancouver youth launched a new program over the weekend to ensure people feel safe in their communities. The Bolt Safety Society is offering a "Safe Buddies" program, which matches volunteers with seniors, women and anyone else who doesn't feel safe walking home alone. The program is in response to recent anti-Asian hate crimes, which have spiked dramatically since the start of the pandemic. It was also prompted by a recent stalking incident in the city, in which a woman was followed for 40 minutes. "It's just astounding how all these things are happening so closely and quickly together. We really felt this initiative was necessary," co-founder Vedanshi Vala said.