1 / 11

Unlocking Potential: Diversion to Assets Program for Youth Offenders

This evidence-based initiative diverts first-time youth offenders towards community supports, promoting pro-social experiences and positive growth. By engaging in mentoring, community service, restorative justice, and more, youth are guided to develop positive assets and contribute meaningfully to their community. The program targets low-risk youth who commit offenses such as theft, criminal mischief, substance abuse, and assault. Through accountability to caring adults and interventions like substance abuse counseling and empowerment activities, the program aims to build on the strengths of each individual. By leveraging volunteer internships and constructive interventions, youth are set on a path towards positive change and personal development. With a high success rate and improved asset profiles seen in participating youth, this initiative offers a promising alternative to traditional punitive measures for young offenders.

yoshi-mcfarland
Télécharger la présentation

Unlocking Potential: Diversion to Assets Program for Youth Offenders

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. DIVERSION TO ASSETS An Evidence Based Opportunity To create community supports for first-time youth offenders, diverting them away from the system and toward pro-social experiences

  2. Boundaries and Expectations Support Empowerment Constructive Use of Time Commitment to Learning Social Competencies Positive Values Positive Identity

  3. Diversion to Assets Overview • Diverts youth age 9-18 to mentoring, community service, restorative justice, after-school programs, evidence-based curriculums, or other community-based learning experiences • Program time varies from 3 weeks to 3 months • Holds youth accountable to caring adults in the larger community • Holds youth accountable to develop their assets and make a restorative, positive contribution to their community

  4. Diversion to Assets Target Population Low-risk youth who commit a chargeable offense in school or in the community • Examples • Theft • Criminal mischief • Substance abuse • Assault

  5. Diversion to Assets The Process Local Police, School Resource Officers or JCCOs refer the youth directly to the local D2A Coordinator—located in at the South End Teen Center.

  6. Diversion to Assets • The D2A Coordinator administers the Developmental Asset Profile (DAP)-- depending on the situation, may also administer the JASAE or a Career Exploration Assessment • Together with the youth and their family, the D2A Coordinator creates several interventions that will build the strengths of this young person • The DAP is administered at the end of the intervention to determine whether or not the youth has increased his or her assets

  7. Diversion to Assets Actual Interventions • Substance abuse counseling • Youth empowerment activities • Recreation • Parent education • Teen parent education • *Community service (volunteer internships) • Mentoring • Restorative justice • Mental health counseling

  8. Diversion to Assets Process of Volunteer Internship Placement • Utilizing the DAP, Career Interest Survey and Sparks survey we determine youth’s area of interests and assets. • Identify potential youth friendly businesses to host youth for 8 week volunteer internship. Key is to match business and youth based on youth survey results. • What can business expect?

  9. Diversion to Assets Waterville’s Story: Since beginning in June 2008 27 referrals –of which have completed 23 the program successfully Of those 23 only 2 have re-offended That is a 85% success rate (of the 4 that did not complete the program 2 were determined inappropriate and 2 re-offended before beginning program

  10. Diversion to Assets Results 75% of participating youth showed an improvement in their Developmental Asset Profile scores— internal assets revealed the most statistically significant change

  11. For more information Nancy Souza 313-0704 nancyd2a@yahoo.com Nancy Findlan GWC4CY 859-9840 nancy@gwc4cy.org

More Related