Calgary Youth Justice Society
It takes a community to help youth in conflict with the law.
Executive Director: Denise Blair
“Going into it you have different expectations – like Judge Judy – but then you realise that most people are regular people in your community who want to help out…. Normal people are easier to relate to and have conversations, I like the personal aspect….[they] made me re-evaluate what I was doing. I already knew right from wrong but it was hard to decide at that moment. Talking to the committee helped reinforce right from wrong and made me think about it more” ~ Young person after successful completion of YJC sanctions
Impact
The group is an unlikely gathering of people. One is a lawyer during the day, the other at stay-at-home mom, and then there is the full-time university student and the grandfather of the group, who is far into well-deserved retirement. Despite the eclectic nature of this improbable cluster of adults, there is one common goal which binds them together, holding youth in conflict with the law accountable for their actions, while giving them an opportunity to avoid the formal justice system.