Reparation gets Festive

Young people attending reparation at the National Trust have been helping to decorate their Information Centre with their hand made wreaths!

Ho Ho HO

Harvey Nic's - Eat Your Heart Out!

The best dressed windows in West Yorkshire

The window dressing service was supplied courtesy of a young person who was attending reparation at the Oxfam store in Mirfield.

National Trust Outdoor Nation

What springs to mind when you think of the National Trust? Lush green parklands? Idyllic settings for ramblers? A cup of tea or two? You wouldn’t necessarily think of young offenders . . .would you?

The National Trust Outdoor Nation project recently visisted marsden Moor and spoke to some of those involved in an ongoing partnership with Kirklees Youth Offending Team….

click here.....   Outdoor Nation

Off The Rails!!!

AFTER

BEFORE

Working closely with Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing and local residents, young people from the Youth Offending Team have completely revamped a large quantity of metail handrails in the Batley Carr area.

Over a period of months they have attended and after rubbing down the surfaces with sandpaper have applied gloss paint to leave them looking as good as new.

Made at the Youth Justice Centre

 

Kirklees Youth Justice Centre runs fortnightly on Saturday mornings in the centre of Dewsbury. Young people who have been directed to come here get involved in a wide variety of sessions from classroom based “victim awareness” to practical, hands on tasks such as woodworking and baking.

Amongst some of the things produced recently have been scones and decorated boxes to put them in which have been passed onto the Age Concern Day Care Centre in Bradley where we are told they were very much appreciated and very quickly devoured!!!.

Young people have also been very busy in the wood workshop producing bird boxes as well as a hoopla game. Again these have been passed onto the day care centre at Bradley and enjoyed by staff and service users alike. In fact, the Hoopla game will be forming an integral part of the day care centre’s summer fair activities.

FLYING OFF THE SHELVES

Young people carrying out reparation at the Brian Jackson Centre have been busy in the wood workshops making a wide variety of items.

Amongst the products made have been bird boxes and bird feeders which have then been donated to the Age UK Charity Shop in Dewsbury.

The manager at the shop said “The boxes and feeders are great and are literally flying off the shelves!”

In Partnership with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue

 

Most Friday evenings see a group of young people from the YOT attending reparation sessions at fire stations across north and south Kirklees. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue are a long standing partner of the YOT and offer the benefit of their first hand experience of the consequences of offences involving firestarting and car crime.

The young people attending sessions here have usually been involved in offences such as arson or dangerous driving and they are structured to address the likely outcome of these using interactive group work involving discussion based around relevant video footage.  Following on from this young people undertake reparation that may take a number of forms as shown in the photos above.  During recent sessions young people have helped by washing fire service vehicles and also by going out into areas identified as hotspots to deliver a variety of fire safety leaflets. Some of these leaflets are shown above.

On the basis that two of the YOT’s main aims are to address offending behaviour and to redress harm caused to communities through reparation, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are an invaluable resource

Restorative Justice in the News

BBC News - Restorative Justice

Not Kirklees but an interesting story involving restorative justice and empowering victims. Click on the BBC News link above for the full details

An Update From Marsden Moor

Young people sometimes don’t get the recognition they have earned for work that has been done.  The National trust newsletter highlights the positive work that young people do whilst carrying out reparation at Marsden Moor.  Cotton grass planting is one of the many and varied tasks undertaken that  benefits the community and local environment.  Much of this work is done side by side with volunteers and other community groups.

A Sign of the Times

Our partnership with the National Trust on Marsden Moor Estate goes from strength to strength as can be seen from their newly signwritten Citroen Berlingo that incorporates not only their logo but the YOT logo too.  Alison Mills, Community Warden for the National Trust says “We think it looks great and definitely gets people looking”.  I think it’s safe to say we agree and are mightily impressed!!

R.J Goes Potty!!

The Restorative Justice Team are constantly looking for ways to work creatively with young people to help them repair the harm they have caused by their offending.

Recently, a small group of young people have worked together at the Youth Offending Team office to create the pots pictured above.  The work involved painstakingly hand decorating them with small pieces of glass and ceramic mosaic tile over a period of three evenings.

The young people will shortly be planting the pots with bulbs and taking them to the Age UK Day Care Centre at Bradley.  This session at the day care centre will not only incorporate handing the finished articles over but will also involve them helping to prepare and serve meals to the elderly service users and other activities.

Huddersfield Examiner 1/2/11 - National Trust Press Release

A mention in the local press about the YOT's work with the National Trust at Marsden Moor

Positive Feedback From Young People

Central Stars (previously Project D), based in Huddersfield, is an invaluable resource providing a youth club for disabled children in Kirklees. We at the YOT are fortunate enough to access the club to enable young people to carry out reparation the benefits of which are many.

As well as putting something positive, constructive and meaningful back into the community it helps greatly to break down any barriers or misconceptions about those with disabilities.

At the end of a series of sessions young people who have carried out reparation reflect on their experience and complete a feedback form to put their thoughts down on paper.  Above is just such a form completed by a young person who recently went to Central Stars and found it extremely positive experience



Damage Repaired in Mirfield

Criminal damage is a common problem for many schools and Mirfield Free Grammar School was a recent victim when a young person who we shall call “Kyle” picked up and threw a wooden planter causing irreparable damage to it. 

After being given a three month ‘Reparation Order’ at Dewsbury Youth Court, Kyle attended a number of weekend sessions at the National Childrens Centre in Huddersfield.  Working there in the wood workshop, Kyle produced a brand new planter from scratch. He then went to the YOT’s own allotment plot where it was filled with soil and plants.

Since then the planter has been presented to the school and the picture below shows it in situ.