NGO advocates on behalf of at risk youth

(CNS): A non-profit association has been created to address a catalogue of issues surrounding youth crime, vulnerability and the problems of young people in jail or with family members in the prison system. Officials from Youth Act say they hope to develop and implement effective prevention programs to address anti-social behaviour and empower children to deal with the social, emotional and at-risk demands placed on them by their peers and society. Youth Act is also advocating for a change in public policy in the penalties and punishment administered young people and a call for restorative justice. 

The group said it has reviewed all the reports from 1999 to 2011 addressing crime in the Cayman Islands as well as the recommendations of the Crime Reduction Working Group of the National Security Council (2011) and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) which addressed youth crime. From these reports, Youth ACT has identified three programs to implement that address youth crime through education and behavior modification.

This started with a Youth Crime Prevention Day, on Friday geared to Years 8 and 10 students, to provide awareness of the causes, consequences and penalties of crime and help provide the knowledge needed to make good decisions.

The second is SNAP (Stop Now and Plan) is an award winning Outreach Program developed by the Canadian Development Institute (CDI) that helps children and parents regulate angry feelings by getting them to stop, think, and plan positive alternatives. SNAP a community-based program that targets children aged 6 through 12 with conduct and related behavioural problems, and helps their parents to develop effective parenting skills.

The new NGO which working with the educaiton ministry is also keen to see a programme to deal with children in prison and children with incarcerated parents. The Youth ACT Board pointed out that the generational issue of children with parents incarcerated falling into crime and following the path of parents and family members.

To find out more visit http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0a1HZv1r2wmcUUxbmLdYmQ for various videos of the NGOs work.