Exploring the Impact of YouthLink Calgary’s Crime Prevention Program on Youth

Traditional methods of crime prevention have proven to be ineffective in reducing the occurrence of crime, especially among youth. Early intervention and educational crime prevention programs are recognized as more efficient forms of mediation than remedial or compensatory forms of reducing crime (Winterdyk, 2013). Community-based programs encourage youth to make positive life choices and increase the prospects of high-risk adolescents avoiding the criminal justice system all together (Vallee, 2010). The Calgary Police Interpretive Center, YouthLink program, focuses on crime prevention by empowering youth to make positive life choices, thus avoiding crime and the risk of being victimized. Crime-based prevention programs have struggled to provide evidence-based measures of their success through research. Through a partnership between the University of Calgary and the YouthLink Calgary this research study was developed to explore the impact of their one-day and week-long crime prevention programming on youth. The research design focuses on the short term impacts these programs have on youth participants, both from the perspective of the students and their teachers. A mixed methods approach was used in this study to collect and analyze both qualitative (open-ended survey questions) and quantitative (survey) data. Data was collected immediately after the completion of the program and again three months later. Findings showed students were comfortable and open to learning while attending the program. Pedagogical approaches such as authentic experiences and hands on investigative activities were helping students learn. Students were also applying what they are learning after attending and recalling messaging and strategies learned before making decisions. Findings also showed students were making safe decisions when faced with crime related pressures and challenges and were using tools and strategies they learned during the program. These findings highlight the short-term impacts of the YouthLink Calgary’s crime prevention and youth education program. This study has implications for crime-prevention programming and may be of interest to others engaged in developing or evaluating community based and crime prevent programs for youth.YouthLink Calgar