For 20 years, Sudbury District Restorative Justice has been offering tools and resources for youth involved in the justice system. With a recent grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario, the staff can offer one-to-one navigation for youth and their families.
The $45,512 grant will establish and launch the Youth and Family Legal Navigation Program, said Meagan Curley, the communications co-ordinator who created the program concept and secured the grant.
The program aims to address the complex legal issues faced by local youth and their families, offering guidance and education so they may better understand their legal rights, obligations, and options.
In addition to one-to-one consultations with client navigators addressing individual legal issues, the grant will aid in creating a library of legal materials and resources tailored to the specific needs of youth and families, as well as organizing information sessions on various legal topics.
“To put it simply, we just want to demystify the legal process as it can be really tricky, and really complicated and overwhelming,” said Curley. “What I want to do is put the knowledge in the hands of the people who are using this service, so they can make the right decisions for them”
Restorative Justice is a framework for “restoring and repairing harm,” she said.
“Restorative justice is an alternative to colonial or traditional justice, we believe in healing harm from within,” said Curley. “Our mission is to help people who are hurting, and who are continuing to hurt to begin the healing process from within, so that they can make better choices and stop the harm before it has a chance to fester and get worse.”
There is a focus on conflict management, in particular, and offering the tools for effective decision-making.
“We focused on education, we want to teach them that, yes, of course, you've made an error, and you have to be accountable for it, you need to hold yourself responsible for it. These are your actions,” said Curley. “However, there is an opportunity to grow and to learn and to rehabilitate, to come back as a stronger person, making better decisions.”
She said that because their programming targets youth, typically those 12-17, there is the opportunity to prevent future involvement with the justice system.
“We want to show them this mistake does not define who you are as a person, you can be better, you can make better decisions,” said Curley. “We're able to give these youth the tools and the resources not only to allow them to learn how important it is to take responsibility and accountability for our actions, but to make the changes so that they can live a happier, more positive lives and have a brighter future and be successful overall.”
For more information about the programs at Sudbury District Restorative Justice, visit sdrj.ca
