SUNDRE – After a roughly 10-year hiatus, a program developed to help local youths who’ve become entangled in legal trouble get back on the right track has officially been restored.
The first incarnation of the Sundre Youth Justice Committee came about in 2004 as the result of a steering committee’s efforts to introduce the initiative, which continued until 2014 before being disbanded when volunteers either moved away or their priorities shifted, said Shannon Milligan, the re-established committee’s director and chair.
It wasn’t until earlier this year that the program was brought back, Milligan told the Albertan, adding several factors played in role in the decision.
“As a teen advocate, as a parent of a teen, a volunteer with The Den (Sundre Youth Centre), and as an active community member, I have an ever-growing awareness of behavioural, mental health and addiction issues,” she wrote by email in response to questions.
“Through personal experience and experiences of other parents, consultation with lawyers, health-care professionals, mental health training (and) conversations with the RCMP, it is apparent that there are overwhelming pressures facing youth today,” she elaborated, adding this by extension has also led to “increasing impacts on the youth justice system, the RCMP, parents and communities; and not just in Sundre.”
Asserting that society has increasingly “become acutely aware of the challenges facing parents and teens,” she praised “an incredible team” that has united to continue the important work that started years ago.
“We have a great many caring and concerned people that want to see the best for our youth and our community,” she said, adding the committee – which includes a probation officer, RCMP liaison and detachment members, a Crown prosecutor as well as the community peace officer – fully believes in the philosophy that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
“Community involvement is essential to the well-being of our youth, and keeping them out of the justice system is often far more beneficial,” she said, adding the committee also endeavours to build proverbial bridges throughout the community, including the municipal council and administration as well as local youth mental health and addiction supports, with the intention of broadening its reach to local schools and supportive non-profit groups.
“We currently serve Sundre and area but may expand to the surrounding area as needed and able,” she said.
Since reintroducing the initiative this past February, the committee has been busy and even found itself growing before very long.
“So far, we have been extremely well received and supported by the Crown, probation officer, RCMP, as well as GNP (Greenwood Neighbourhood Place) and the town,” she said. “We began with four volunteers and have increased to 10 members. Although we are not looking for additional volunteers at this time, we will certainly advertise if members are needed.”
Responding to a question about what the program entails and how volunteers work alongside youth, Milligan said the Youth Criminal Justice Act allows “an opportunity for citizens to become directly involved in the administration of youth justice by forming youth justice committees.”
Committee members, who must all participate in an orientation and training session as well as submit to a vulnerable sector/criminal record check, are typically town and area residents who want to help youth who have not made the best life decisions and ended up on the wrong side of the law but were eligible to be granted by the courts or police either extrajudicial sanctions or extra judicial measures.
Youth deemed eligible for the initiative are referred to the committee by either one of two means: through the courts, meaning the youth has been charged with an offence and the judge has agreed to refer the youth through extra judicial sanctions; or alternately, through the RCMP’s extrajudicial measures program that involves instances when police have opted against laying formal charges but want to ensure consequences.
“Youth do not seek to participate in the program but must agree to participate,” she said, adding that all of the individuals referred as well as their parents or guardians can expect to be included in an Indigenous-inspired circle process that aims to achieve outcomes that weave together community, healing, connection, and collective action.
“The restorative justice circle is used to ensure that everyone in the room has the chance to speak and others are ready to listen. All members of the circle will sit together and come up with a way to repair the harm together,” she said. “This process ensures that all members in the room are in a place to contribute effectively and ensure their contributions are heard.”
On average, she said a circle process might last anywhere from one to two hours or longer, after which the lead or facilitator starts a brainstorming session with the people in the room to discuss an agreeable approach toward making amends and repairing harm done.
“Victim involvement in the circle process is beneficial for the victim of the crime as well as the (offending) youth. Being able to put a face to the harm caused not only allows for a change in perspective but also encourages a greater understanding of the impact of the youth’s actions,” she said.
The committee’s members will then proceed to engage in a private discussion to determine what conditions and objectives to place on the youth, she said.
“This can involve a combination of community service or projects, restitution of costs, counselling, essays or expressive projects, mandatory attendance programs for anger management of theft, effects of alcohol drugs (and) letters of apology,” she said.
Some of the committee’s members will be attending the upcoming Welcome Back BBQ and Community Recreation Registration on Sept. 7 at River Valley School, and Milligan invites anyone who is interested in learning more to drop by and say hello.
