Creative consequences that are logical and meaningful to youth and work to reconnect the youth with their community can have a significant impact on reducing their chance of re-offending. Creative consequences are also a tool to get the youth to see their future in a positive light, by highlighting their ability to make positive choices and to use their talents effectively.
Whether you are aware of it or not, creative consequences often hit on many of the developmental assets identified by the Search Institute which contribute to giving youth a positive self-image, assist them in making more positive choices and allow them to develop a more resilient attitude.
These tips are intended to help youth justice committee volunteers think of consequences for youth which may be more creative in nature. We hope that in reviewing these suggestions, YJCs may be encouraged to use some of these ideas and to design their own ‘creative consequences’ which focus on their individual communities.
Take Home Projects
- Non-Profit Organization Special Events Assistance - Contact local non-profit organizations in your area and ask if they have opportunities for youth to participate in assisting them with preparation for newsletter distribution or special events. Check to see if organizations have any ‘assembly’ projects which the youth might be able to take home with them to complete. Look on the Volunteer Calgary website for a listing of organizations via geographical quadrant of the city – you can locate the website at www.volunteercalgary.ab.ca.
- Assistance with Children’s Projects - Daycares, day homes and elementary schools often have projects on the go, which take considerable time to prepare. For example, an elementary school teacher or daycare worker may need several cardboard cut-outs made for a craft class. A youth may be able to pick up the project to complete at home. For a listing of Calgary day home agencies and daycare facilities, go to www.calgary.ca.
- Researching Community Service Placements - Ask the young person to investigate and document possible community service placements in their community, by using the form provided.
Short-Term Volunteer Opportunities
- Helping Out With a Special Event Listed Through Volunteer Calgary - Log onto www.volunteercalgary.ca to find current special events which youth may be able to help with.
- Participation in City of Calgary Library Project - Some libraries have shown an interest in being a liaison for YJCs. Call your local library and explore how you might work together with them. Ideas suggested in the past by librarians have been: self-guided tours of the library; letter and poster creation for displays; cleaning computers; clerical tasks. For listings, see ‘Calgary Public Library’ in the white pages.
- Linking the Consequence with the Youth’s Area of Interest - During the course of a Panel Hearing, find out about what the youth is interested in. Do they have a talent they could share with others? Past consequences have included asking a youth to play an instrument at a seniors’ care facility, and then share her experience with the Panel Members.
- Youth Volunteer Corps - Consider referring a youth to Child & Youth Friendly Calgary’s Youth Volunteer Corps. The youth will be able to complete community service hours by participating with other youth in a community service project, supervised by Child and Youth Friendly Calgary staff. Youth benefit from this opportunity by connecting with other youth in the Calgary community, and by taking part in a volunteer project that will benefit others.
- Community Association Special Events Assistance - Ask the young person to help out with a special event at their local community association, such as a teen dance or a barn dance.
Graffiti
- Reporting Graffiti - A consequence for a youth who has perpetrated graffiti is to make a list of all graffiti in a certain area and report it to the City of Calgary.
- Self-Directed Graffiti Clean-Up - For young people who have perpetrated graffiti, ask them to return the area to its original state and maintain it for a period of one month.
- Graffiti Abatement - Youth can be given the task of going around their community and cleaning up graffiti by spraying it with a chemical and wiping it off the surface. The chemical is non-toxic. Ensure that an adult is available to go with the youth to pick up the supplies.
- Urban Youth Worx: Mural Projects - This program works on a project-by-project basis and focuses on youth and community development through art. During the summer, the Urban Youth Worx puts on a mural event. A professional artist leads youth in creating a mural on a site which has previously experienced a high volume of graffiti. In 2003, the project ran from June 28 – August 31. There are projects happening during the fall and winter months, but they are less frequent.
Theft
- Buy & Donate - Ask the young person to buy the item they stole and donate it to a charity of their choice. Request that they bring a receipt of purchase and a receipt of donation from the agency they have donated to.
- Donation to Charity/The Children’s Hospital - Ask the young person to donate the dollar amount for the damage they caused to a charity of their choice. Again, request that they bring a receipt of the donation to a follow-up meeting with Panel Members. The youth can also make a donation to the Alberta Children’s Hospital or any charity that donates to children.
- Giving to People Less Fortunate - Have the young person purchase fashionable clothes for a dollar amount, for donation to a less fortunate person.
- Interview with a Store Manager - For young people who have shoplifted, arrange an interview with a local store manager and share with them how shoplifting impacts consumers.
- Movies - Have the youth watch a movie like Pay It Forward or The Grinch Who Stole Christmas; if you choose, the youth could watch the movie with YJC members. Have the youth explore whether they think one person can make a difference. Ask them how they feel they can make a difference; when and where will they do that; how will others view them?
Self-Esteem Creative Writing Assignments
- Book Writing Assignment - Librarians at your local branch may be able to suggest self-esteem based books which the youth could read and report on such as Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens or Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Career Path Building
- Job Shadow - Find out what a youth’s interest is in possible employment opportunities. Have them job shadow someone at their place of employment for one day and report back.
- Career Building - Ask youth to go to the Youth Employment Centre and research any one of the following topics:
- Resume development
- Job Search
- Preparing for Interviews
- Career Planning
- Portfolio Development
- Self-Esteem and Motivation
- Career Circuit - Career Circuit is an on-line program which offers practical solutions and techniques for youth, including helping youth develop their motivation and a sense of hope for their future. Youth Justice Committees can search the Member’s Directory of over 5,500 youth serving agencies nationally, and 481 in Alberta. See www.thecircuit.org.
Crime Impact
- Interview with a Victim - Have the youth find an article on victimization from the newspaper. Alternatively, have them interview someone they know (not the victim of their crime) who has been a victim of crime. Have the youth complete the questionnaire included in this section of the binder, and bring it back to the Panel for discussion. The intent here is to instil empathy in the youth by having them think about how it would feel to be personally impacted by a crime. Also, have youth remember a time when they have been a victim of crime – have they ever experienced having their personal property taken?
- Interview with a Store Manager - For young people who have shoplifted, arrange an interview with a local store manager and have the manager share with them how shoplifting impacts consumers.
- Essay/Poster on Consequences of a Criminal Record - Ask the young person to research and write an essay that explains how having a criminal record may affect their future goals. If the young person is an artist, ask them to draw a poster and explain their artwork to the Panel.
- Essay Focusing on Peer Pressure - discuss how others (peers) may have interfered with their ability to make positive choices.
- Family Impact - Ask the young person to write an essay on how the offence affected their family and on how they will avoid being in conflict with the law in the future.
- Creating a Life Plan - Ask the young person to create a life plan, researching the cost of supporting themselves for one year, as well as the education and employment needed to earn the appropriate wage and how a criminal record will interfere with this goal.
- Youth Court Attendance - Ask the young person to attend youth court to understand the process and report back.
- Poetry - If the youth are interested in writing poetry, ask them to share it with you, or to write a poem on their experience of being involved with the youth criminal justice system.
- Collage - Ask the youth to make a collage on a topic meaningful to them.
Drugs
- Website Research - Ask the youth to do research on the negative effects of alcohol and drugs. Refer them to the AADAC site at www.aadac.com. To appeal to teens, one icon on the home page includes information on alcohol, drugs, gambling, personal development and recovery issues. It includes interactive features, such as surveys, quizzes, and forums, as well as showcasing youth views and talent. There is also an icon youth can hit entitled ‘Truth about Tobacco’.
Violence
- Museum of the Regiments – Consider asking the youth to attend the Museum of the Regiments with a parent. The museum is free and there is a quiz available for youth to complete. The intent here would be to increase a youth’s awareness around the negative impact of weapons’ use. This is a consequence, which should be used with great sensitivity both around a youth’s cultural background and around the degree to which a youth thinks positively about weapons’ use.
- Bowling for Columbine - Consider asking youth to view this movie - you may choose to have them watch the movie with an YJC Member. The movie is a humorous documentary by filmmaker Michael Moore, and deals with the issue of gun control in the United States. The movie is suitable for mature level youth, and should not be used with youth who glorify gun use. The movie-maker interviews a number of people and engages viewers in a serious debate.
Building Futures
- Young Offender Mentoring Program – To access the Calgary Young Offender Centre’s ‘Young Offender Mentoring Program’, please call Dawn Fraser, Program Coordinator, at 662-3563 (dawn.fraser@gov.ab.ca).
- Coaching Questionnaire – Have more mature youth complete the coaching questionnaire, which gets them to identify a specific goal and work through the steps they might take to complete that goal.
- Get to Know Your City - Have youth find out more about Calgary. Consider getting free passes to pro-social events for youth.