Grants and Contributions

The National Youth Justice Network (NYJN) provides regular networking and professional development opportunities for leaders and front-line workers in youth justice across the country. Through this funding, the NYJN will contribute to increased knowledge and understanding of the operation of the youth justice system across jurisdictions, advocate and support practices that reduce the rate of re-contact with the youth justice system, and address the overrepresentation of Indigenous youth, youth from racialized communities, youth with mental health disorders and youth experiencing homelessness.

Through the “From Custody to Community: A Pilot Project Providing Music Education and Opportunity for Youth in the Criminal Justice System”, Turning Point Youth Services (TPYS) will build on a history of working with the Community Music Schools of Toronto to provide regular music-based arts activities for youth in open custody and who are on probation and seeking rehabilitation and reintegration opportunities. This project will be further strengthened through its partnership with Springboard Toronto, which has two established music studios for its open custody facility and youth employment services. Finally, it will help the youth who participate in this program to improve their self-esteem, enable them to express a sense of “musical identity”, and prevent their future recidivism.

The R.I.S.E: Re-Integrating the Socially Excluded 2.0 project aims to enhance reintegration and rehabilitative services for youth who identify as Black and racialized. More specifically, this program will provide counselling upon youth being released, harness the ability to connect with local agencies that provide trauma and mental health services, and facilitate holistic case management support that is culturally responsive and helps youth to re-engage with their community.

Through the “Youth Crime Prevention and Recidivism in Civil Society (YCPR) program”, Peer Mediation And Skills Training (PMAST) will develop and implement a community-based program focusing on preventing youth criminal activity and reducing recidivism. A strong and cohesive integrated multi-disciplinary community infrastructure will be developed to provide services to justice-involved youth, as an alternative to police and the judicial system. This project will also aim to strengthen collaborative relationships between stakeholders such as police, probation services, schools, recreational centers and NGOs dealing with addiction, abuse and mental health issues, and Children’s Services to ensure the widest range of service delivery for youth.

The “Youth Reintegration Program” is a pilot project that will provide evidence-based case management support to youth in conflict with the law in the Regional Municipality of York. The program will specifically target justice-involved Indigenous, Black, and other racialized youth by providing them with reintegration support to reduce their recidivism. Through community partnerships, the project will help youth establishing positive support systems, increasing social and emotional learning skills, accessing healthcare for physical and mental health needs, addressing food insecurity, acquiring stable housing and employment, and obtaining education. Ultimately, the community as a whole will benefit as youth who are given the skills and resources to make positive choices are less likely to become further involved in the criminal justice system, thus contributing to a safer community.

The "Empowering Youth for Success project" will provide justice-involved youth with innovative aftercare programming through the hiring of a full-time registered aftercare-programming worker with clinical experience with adolescent populations. This position will provide trauma-informed, self-efficacy building program components, as well as address and respond to identified risks and needs that endure following treatment programs. This program will take place over a 12-week period as part of the youth's probation order. The project will also contribute by improving the youth's positive sense of self-efficacy and in reducing their risk of future contact with the criminal justice system.

Through their project entitled "Exploring Access to Justice for Wolastoqey Youth," the Wolastoqey Nation will conduct a needs assessment and community-based engagement activities to explore the unmet needs and gaps in services for Wolastoqey youth in conflict with the law in the province of New Brunswick. The information gathered through this process will be used to inform the development of recommendations aimed at improving the access and responsiveness of culturally appropriate youth justice services for Wolastoqey youth.

The “Community Youth Reintegration Program” will expand current justice services to provide youth reintegration programming in the communities under the Saskatoon Tribal Council. The goal of the program is to provide intensive mentorship for high-risk youth and will include culturally responsive programming unique to the communities' needs with the use of knowledge keeper and elders, community members, community resources and agencies, family and peers, to develop unique case plans. It will provide holistic, wrap-around services in the community. The main objectives of the program will be to reintegrate youth into their home communities, connect youth with appropriate resources and create supportive connections in the community using the inter-agency approach.

The "Youth Restorative Action Project" will be a youth-led restorative justice initiative to address youth criminality. It will prioritize and focus on reintegration, diversion from court, and referrals to community supports including mental health, family counseling, and peer support circles. Through community based, cross-sectoral and youth-led approaches, the project also aims to decrease the overrepresentation of vulnerable youth in the criminal justice system, and develop and share knowledge, tools and resources with the community.

“The Métis Youth Restorative Justice Program” project will enable the creation of a Youth Diversion and Justice program and enhance overall systems capacity to deliver diversion and justice based interventions for Métis youth in conflict with the law. The program will be provincial in scope, trauma-informed and geared to youth who have had early police contact, have been charged with an offence, or are serving sentences in the community or in custody. The program will build staff capacity within the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) Justice Program, engage with external stakeholders and partners to promote referrals to the MNO Justice Program, and raise awareness around distinctions-based access to justice for Métis youth.