VIDEO

VIDEO

 

 

Volunteer Canada is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Department of Justice Canada. Together we are working to build awareness and increase understanding of the vital role that volunteers play in a new model for youth justice.

 

All of us are familiar with the kind of volunteer work that makes the headlines—the exceptional responses to the 9/11 crisis by the people of Gander, Newfoundland, the work of the volunteer firefighters who fought tirelessly during the B.C. forest fires or the outpouring of help for the tragedy of the recent tsunami in Thailand. But there are other kinds of volunteers who contribute to our society in equally important ways. They may not always be in the limelight but their contribution and significance is not to be overlooked. It is this kind of volunteer that is central to the Youth Justice Renewal Initiative, a Department of Justice initiative that explores how society as a whole can address high risk behaviour in youth and its associated factors.

 

The Youth Justice Renewal Initiative is about finding approaches that provide for greater public involvement in the justice system without undermining the fundamental requirement for a uniform legal system. It is also about a range of measures that include early intervention for youth at risk, prevention programs, appropriately tailored sentencing and broad, integrated strategies that involve families, communities, teachers, the police, social workers and many others who combine to reinforce social values and respect for society. Not surprisingly, volunteers provide the backbone of this kind of working model.

 

To educate others on the importance of community involvement in all stages of prevention and support for youth involved in high risk behaviour, Volunteer Canada and the Department of Justice Canada have jointly produced two television Public Service Announcements (PSAs). Available in English and French, the PSAs will be distributed widely to Canadian television broadcasters. Volunteer Canada will be promoting the PSAs to national stakeholders and encouraging others to join with us in soliciting airtime at the provincial and regional level.

 

Volunteers touch every aspect of Canadian life. They coach, read, entertain, walk, drive, visit, cook, telephone, canvass, protest and feed. They write, plant, befriend, organize, coordinate, paint, speak, clean, direct, chair and give. They are parents, friends, seniors, children, teenagers and people who work for a living and people who don’t. They are from everywhere across this nation.

 

Volunteer Canada is proud to be a partner in the Youth Justice Renewal Initiative and strongly urges others to join with us to promote and support the PSAs and their message. In addition, we thank all broadcasters in advance for providing important airtime and for this demonstration of commitment to building better Canadian communities.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ruth MacKenzie

 

President, Volunteer Canada

 

More Information: Publications, information and answers to your questions about youth justice, the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), and the Youth Justice Renewal Initiative. Public legal education and information (PLEI) material from across Canada.