People employed in organizations that work with youth will have the opportunity to hear from respected speakers in the youth engagement field and take part in workshops on how to deliver effective programming during the 2015 Northern Crime Prevention and After School Network Event in Thompson Nov. 24-25.
The conference is being organized by Manitoba’s Children and Youth Opportunities crime prevention branch and MB4Youth.
One of the keynote speakers will be Stephen Leafloor, a social worker with 27 years of experience in the field and the founder of BluePrintFor Life, which uses hip hop to deliver programs rooted in traditional culture and based on community needs to First Nations and Inuit youth as well as youth at risk and newly immigrated families in Canada’s inner cities.
“He’s really exciting,” said Minister of Children and Youth Opportunities Melanie Wight. “He’s speaking and he’s then going to do a workshop so we’re really looking for takeaways from these, things that people can come in and learn and be able to use.”
Larry Brendtro, who served on the Co-ordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention during three presidential administrations in the U.S., is the other keynote speaker.
“He is part of the folks that came up with the Circle of Courage model,” says Wight. “It talks about the four things youth need or kids need to be successful in life. Those four things are mastery, generosity, independence and belonging.”
Crime prevention branch executive director Todd Clarke says the conference is aimed at anyone who deals with youth as part of their job, such as school employees, law enforcement and criminal justice workers, as well as those employed by youth-serving agencies like MacDonald Youth Services or the Boys & Girls Club.
“We have quite a few youth programs in the north that could benefit from having additional skill sets to work with at-risk populations,” said Clarke. “That’s really what my branch focuses on is significantly at-risk populations. We’re hoping to help agencies in the north get additional skills to be more successful than they already are.”
And while the title of the conference emphasizes crime prevention, Wight says it’s more about giving people who work with youth the opportunity to provide their clients with programs and strategies that open doors for youth.
“This does help people not get involved in crime but it also does much more than that,” said Wight. “These things open doors for them to see what’s possible for them and to give a vision that they may never have had before. Depending on the world that’s around you, you may not be aware of what’s out there and what your options are and I think it gives hope.”
Clarke says that while recreation programming often emphasizes organized activities like sports to channel youth energies away from crime, that’s not going to reach some of the most vulnerable people.
“Often at-risk populations don’t go to those types of programs so we have to create other opportunities for them and make sure that they’re engaged so that’s why there’s a wide variety of things that we’re talking about,” said Clarke.
And while the conference is held every year, Wight says it’s a special opportunity for northern youth workers when it’s held in Thompson.
“A lot of conferences cost a lot of money for folks to go and so the people that you want to come can’t afford to go,” said Wight. “We have really worked to make this one so that that is not a barrier for people.”
Registration for the two-day conference is $50 and registration is open until Nov. 13.
“It’s incredibly affordable,” said Wight. “We’re really hoping people will take advantage of it.”
For more information on how to register contact Tamy Burton of Further Details Event Planning at tamy@furtherdetails.ca or 204-679-5350.
