Government of Canada Provides Funding for Social Rehabilitation of Young Offenders through Sport and Outdoor Activities

QUÉBEC CITY, QUÉBEC--(Marketwired - Jan. 20, 2015) - Department of Justice Canada

Today, Justice Minister Peter MacKay announced more than $536,000 in funding to Motivaction Jeunesse for the OXYGÈNE project, which promotes social rehabilitation through sport and outdoor activities for youth in conflict with the law in Québec.

This project is supported by the Youth Justice Initiative, which encourages a fair and effective youth justice system, responds to emerging youth justice issues, and enables greater citizen and community participation in the youth justice system, thereby promoting a holistic approach to helping youth.

Quick Facts

- Under the project, youth will organize and participate in sporting events and other outdoor activities with support and guidance from the project team. This will allow the young people to learn about discipline and setting and following through on goals, develop new social skills and strengthen their self-esteem.

- Thematic workshops and educational support will also be offered to young people throughout the project. The project aims to support rehabilitation and reduce substance abuse and social exclusion of young offenders.

- The project will be done in partnership with the Centre de Jeunesse de Québec and specialized schools for troubled youth.

- The $536,647 in funding is being provided over four years as follows:

-- $39,090 for fiscal year 2014-2015

-- $156,838 for fiscal year 2015-2016

-- $171,353 for fiscal year 2016-2017

-- $169,366 for fiscal year 2017-2018

- The funding is being provided through the Youth Justice Fund, part of the Youth Justice Initiative, which supports a broad range of projects relating to youth involved in the justice system.

- The Government is taking a multi-pronged approach to crime, by supporting projects such as this one to help reduce victimization by rehabilitating and reintegrating young offenders to help prevent them from reoffending.

Quotes

"For youth to make better choices and not become in conflict with the law, they must be given the opportunity to develop social skills, a sense of responsibility, autonomy, leadership and self-esteem. Our Government believes that it is with innovative projects like this that we will improve our ability to rehabilitate and reintegrate young offenders into society and keep streets and communities safe across Canada."

Peter MacKay

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

"It's a tremendous honour for Motivaction Jeunesse to be associated with the Department of Justice Canada and the Centre Jeunesse de Québec in implementing this new project Oxygène. We're proud to be able to contribute to rehabilitating young people brought to justice. Our team will work passionately and devotedly toward improving the lives of these young people who need a second chance in life."

Luc Richer

Executive Director, Motivaction Jeunesse

Related Products

Backgrounder: Youth Justice Fund

Associated Links

Department of Justice: Youth Justice Fund

Motivaction Jeunesse

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Backgrounder

Youth Justice Fund

The Youth Justice Fund was established in the 1990s as part of the Youth Justice Renewal Initiative, and provides grants and contributions funding for projects across Canada. The Youth Justice Fund has a budget of approximately $4.5 million each year.

The Youth Justice Fund has three components:

• The Main Fund supports a broad range of projects relating to youth involved in the justice system. Current funding priorities include youth with mental health issues and/or cognitive impairments. The Main Fund can also provide support to respond to emerging youth justice issues.
  
  
• The Drug Treatment component supports drug treatment interventions for youth involved in the justice system who are dealing with drug abuse.
  
  
• The Guns, Gangs and Drugs component responds to youth involved in the justice system who are involved in, or vulnerable to, gun, gang and drug-related activities.

The Youth Justice Initiative is a multi-faceted approach that includes a legislative framework (the Youth Criminal Justice Act) and programming resources that:

• Encourage a more fair and effective youth justice system;
  
  
• Respond to emerging youth justice issues; and
  
  
• Enable greater citizen/community participation in the youth justice system by encouraging partnerships and innovations, and developing and sharing information and knowledge about youth justice.

Community organizations, Aboriginal organizations, and individuals are eligible for funding to help develop community-based programming options and partnerships that respond more effectively to youth in conflict with the law. Funding support is also used to advance changes in provincial/territorial policies and programs that are consistent with the intent of federal policy objectives.

The Youth Justice Fund supports the development, implementation, and evaluation of pilot projects that provide programming and services for youth in conflict with the law. It supports professional development activities, such as training and conferences, for justice professionals and youth service providers. Additionally, it funds research on the youth justice system and related issues.

Projects must target youth who are between the ages of 12 and 17 and currently in conflict with the law, or justice professionals and/or service providers who work with these youth.

To learn more about the Youth Justice Fund, please visit www.canada.justice.gc.ca/youth.

January 2015

Department of Justice Canada