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.