DIVERSION TO ASSETS

1
DIVERSION TO ASSETS

• An Evidence Based Opportunity
• To create community supports for first-time youth
  offenders, diverting them away from the system
  and toward pro-social experiences

2
Boundaries and Expectations
Support
Empowerment
Constructive Use of Time
Commitment to Learning
Social Competencies
Positive Values
Positive Identity
3
Diversion to Assets

• Overview
• Diverts youth age 9-18 to mentoring, community
  service, restorative justice, after-school
  programs, evidence-based curriculums, or other
  community-based learning experiences
• Program time varies from 3 weeks to 3 months
• Holds youth accountable to caring adults in the
  larger community
• Holds youth accountable to develop their assets
  and make a restorative, positive contribution to
  their community

4
Diversion to Assets

• Target Population
• Low-risk youth who commit a chargeable offense in
  school or in the community

• Examples
• Theft
• Criminal mischief
• Substance abuse
• Assault

5
Diversion to Assets

• The Process
• Local Police, School Resource Officers or JCCOs
  refer the youth directly to the local D2A
  Coordinatorlocated in at the South End Teen
  Center.

6
Diversion to Assets

• The D2A Coordinator administers the Developmental
  Asset Profile (DAP)-- depending on the situation,
  may also administer the JASAE or a Career
  Exploration Assessment
• Together with the youth and their family, the D2A
  Coordinator creates several interventions that
  will build the strengths of this young person
• The DAP is administered at the end of the
  intervention to determine whether or not the
  youth has increased his or her assets

7
Diversion to Assets

• Actual Interventions
• Substance abuse counseling
• Youth empowerment activities
• Recreation
• Parent education
• Teen parent education
• Community service (volunteer internships)
• Mentoring
• Restorative justice
• Mental health counseling

8
Diversion to Assets

• Process of Volunteer Internship Placement
• Utilizing the DAP, Career Interest Survey and
  Sparks survey we determine youths area of
  interests and assets.
• Identify potential youth friendly businesses to
  host youth for 8 week volunteer internship. Key
  is to match business and youth based on youth
  survey results.
• What can business expect?

9
Diversion to Assets

• Watervilles Story
• Since beginning in June 2008
• 27 referrals of which have completed 23 the
  program successfully
• Of those 23 only 2 have re-offended
• That is a 85 success rate
• (of the 4 that did not complete the program 2
  were determined inappropriate and 2 re-offended
  before beginning program

10
Diversion to Assets

• Results
• 75 of participating youth showed an improvement
  in their Developmental Asset Profile scores
• internal assets revealed the most statistically
  significant change

11
For more information

• Nancy Souza
• 313-0704
• nancyd2a_at_yahoo.com
• Nancy Findlan
• GWC4CY
• 859-9840
• nancy_at_gwc4cy.org