Impact promotes the use of alternative justice for young offenders and helps prevent criminality and drug addiction.

Since 1980, the Impact program at The YMCAs of Québec has been promoting alternative justice as a way to deal with the issue of young offenders. Designed first and foremost to encourage reparations, Impact initiatives promote the creation of alternative, informal mechanisms for conflict resolution.

Impact seeks to encourage young offenders to become aware of the damage their actions may cause to the community or its members. By making the young offenders aware of what they have done, it is hoped that repeat offenses can be avoided. Contacts with parents and the community are established and maintained. The program also relies on participation by community organizations that agree to become involved in the reparations process to help youth who have committed offenses.

Impact’s initiatives with young offenders include community work or compensation, donations to the community, mediation and reparations with victims, and letters in which they express their thoughts and make apologies. Youth may also have to take part in workshops to make them more aware of violence, theft, and drug addiction, or to take part in conflict resolution or drug addiction awareness groups. Parents are asked to participate in the process.

Each year, Impact offers more than 350 young people the experience of alternative justice. They are given an opportunity to experience something positive and develop their social skills. In addition, Impact plays an active role in promoting citizen mediation and doing mediation training in schools. A citizen mediation program is currently being set up at CEGEP de Maisonneuve. The program also offers crime and drug addiction prevention workshops for various groups.

For more information, please contact Kevin Anderson at the West Island Y centre,
514 630-9622, ext. 330.