Youth Connections Fredericton

Brief Description

Youth Connections Fredericton is a street-level outreach program designed to engage youth experiencing homelessness and disconnection from community. Connectors offer and/or facilitate case management, employment support, family support, learning and education training, life skills training, mentoring, advocacy and art and cultural activities. Connectors support youth and their families to access prevention and support programs before issues become a crisis. The program supports youth in addressing risk factors at the family, school, peer, community, and individual levels.

Goals

The main goals of the Youth Connections Fredericton program are to:

• Reduce gun and gang violence in youth,
• Foster positive relationships with youth and adults, and
• Provide mentorship, support, and re-connection to educational opportunities.

Clientele

This program works with youth in the greater Fredericton area who have been identified by the Fredericton Police Force’s Integrated Community Services (ICS) team or street-level outreach conducted by Connectors. The ICS team identifies youth through community engagements, partnerships with local organizations, by conducting Violent Threat Risk Assessments, outreach and by referral. Youth who are unhoused, involved with violence, crime, drugs and/or gangs, or who are disconnected from school and community may be referred to the program.

Core Components

The Youth Connections Fredericton program consists of dedicated Youth Connectors who support youth, their families and support systems and facilitate access to:

• Case management support;
• Counselling and mental health services (e.g., referrals and transportation);
• Drug, alcohol and/or addictions education and intervention (e.g., liaising with services to reinforce recovery plans);
• Employment training/support (e.g., conflict resolution and resume building);
• Family supports (e.g., access to Strengthening Families);
• Healthy relationships (e.g., communications skills and emotion management);
• Learning and education training (e.g., reconnection to school);
• Life management and decision making (e.g., problem solving, budgeting, house maintenance);
• Mentoring;
• Youth Justice Services (e.g., direct access to legal support);
• Housing (e.g., identifying housing and negotiating rental agreements); and
• Restorative justice.

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: Limited information on this topic.
• Partnerships: Partnership with local police forces are required to identify youth who are, or are at risk of, becoming involved in the criminal justice system. Partnerships with local organizations and services, schools, health centres, municipal and provincial governments, and the youth’s family/support system are required to identify and address risk factors.
• Training and technical assistance: Youth Connectors are trained on boundaries, prevention of abuse/neglect, Choice theory, Motivational Interviewing, ASIST and Crisis Intervention.
• Risk assessment tools: Limited information on this topic.
• Materials & resources: Connectors required office space, computers, cell phones, and transportation. Additional resources are required to support youth to access services and remove barriers, such as funding for transportation, work clothes/materials, gym memberships, etc.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: Not applicable.
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

Through Public Safety Canada’s Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund, funding was provided to the Department of Justice and Public Safety to implement its 5-year plan on gun and gang violence. As part of that plan, the province implemented a Crime Prevention Conditional Grant fund to facilitate local-level crime prevention activities. The John Howard Society of Fredericton received funding to implement Youth Connections Fredericton in the Greater Fredericton region from 2021 until 2025.

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

No information available.

Cost Information

No information available.

References

There is no Canadian reference available at this time.

For more information on this program, contact:

John Howard Society of Fredericton

294 Main St.,

Fredericton, NB, E3A 1C9

Telephone: (506)450-2750

Email: jhsf@nb.aibn.com

Website: https://johnhowardfredericton.ca/