Introduction
Today, many youths are at risk of being involved in criminal behaviors or facing other delinquency-related risks, such as dropping out of school. This youth group is becoming a significant concern for various stakeholders, particularly the ones in the education sector. Due to the advanced consequences that at-risk youth face, there has been a need for scholars and other key players to devise control measures to deviate the young ones from acts that contribute to the risks. These risks include dropping out of school, doing drugs, getting involved in prostitution, and poor grades (Jackson et al., 2020).
Font and Maguire-Jack (2020) have identified several factors contributing to youth risk, including poverty, inadequate parenting, lack of education, and social exclusions. Thus, the stakeholders mentioned above must implement diversionary efforts to divert the youth from deviant behaviors and lead them toward a productive life full of positive behaviors. This paper looks at diversionary techniques that could help them, including parenting lessons and therapies, early intervention and nutritional programs, after-school and mentoring initiatives, and restorative justice initiatives.
Parental Education
Parents play a pivotal role in their children’s development and growth and must be educated on how to guide their children from getting involved in behaviors that will put them at risk. When parents are educated, they can play a pivotal role in their child’s development and take several measures that may limit delinquency in the child (Amran & Basri, 2020). This education could be provided through various means, but the aim should always be to guide them on effectively deviating their children from activities that put them at risk.
Through conducting parenting classes, guardians can learn how to raise their children happily and how to form a relationship where the communication between the parent and the child is open and accessible. Other skills that parents acquire during parenting classes include knowing the best punishments, understanding their children, and the best activities for their youth. This knowledge, when applied effectively, could guide the child to avoid engaging in deviant behavior from an early age.
Moreover, education helps parents understand the importance of therapy sessions, which are an effective tool for addressing some of the issues between guardians and their children that may contribute to delinquent behavior. During these family therapy sessions, all family members, particularly the youth, can express their concerns, making it easy to formulate solutions. In addition, family therapy sessions could help solve various issues that contribute to delinquent behaviors among the youth, including trauma and the feeling of lack of support.
Family therapy sessions have also been proven to reduce recidivism and re-offending rates among youths, making them an effective way of deterring the youth from criminal behavior (Ali et al., 2021). Youths who go through the sessions also report increased school attendance and performance, which is lacking in at-risk youth (Kearney, 2021). Therefore, parents’ education helps mitigate at-risk youth behaviors and should be prioritized by all stakeholders.
Addressing Biological Shortcomings
At-risk youth behaviors are also caused by various biological factors such as brain development, genetic makeup, and medical conditions. Overcoming delinquent behaviors caused by biological setbacks can be extremely challenging, but early intervention programs and nutritional programs could help address the issue. Early intervention programs have been in use for a long time and include subjecting the youth to activities that direct their minds away from committing criminal activities.
Examples of intervention programs include training and guidance programs for youths with biological shortcomings. Instead of being put in a class with differently abled peers, the children could be equipped with skills that match their abilities. Providing students with the necessary nutrition could serve as a diversionary measure to solve youth delinquency caused by nutrition and food problems.
Studies show that nutritional issues may contribute to at-risk youth challenges because they result in physical challenges that cause poor academic outcomes and cognitive abilities. If stakeholders are to focus on providing the children with good nutritional programs, they may enjoy decreased cases of at-risk outcomes among the youth. Moreover, providing the youth with adequate food resources would make them less likely to be involved in criminal activities, drug use, and prostitution.
Involving the Youth in Social Activities
Social activities such as mentoring programs, sports, drama and music festivals, tours, and community activities could serve as a diversionary tactic to mitigate youth risks. When the youth participate in these social activities, they develop good relationships with peers and adults and develop emotional control skills that limit the chances of bad behavior among them (Font & Maguire-Jack, 2020). Social activities also provide a ground for the youth to build relationships with the rest of the community members, which results in them having a sense of belonging and feeling less lonely, thus fewer chances of delinquency. Of particular importance are after-school programs, which divert the youth’s attention from harmful behaviors and focus on valuable recreational and educational activities.
Moreover, since many at-risk youths are likely to be left behind academically, after-school programs provide a platform for them to engage with peers who explain key concepts they may have missed. This would put them on the same level as the other fast learners, make them feel they belong, and limit their chances of getting involved in undesirable behaviors. Social activities do not only come in the form of peers; they could also be informed of mentoring programs where a more skilled person would guide a less skilled youth.
A mentor-mentee relationship is effective since the at-risk youth can copy the positive attributes from their mentors and use them in their daily lives. Moreover, it creates a culture where the youth know that they should surround themselves with productive people in society. During this interaction, the mentee gets to copy various attributes and characters of their guide, thus limiting their chances of getting involved in activities that may put them at risk of undesirable behaviors and results.
Using Restorative Justice Systems and Youth Courts
Restorative justice systems, as well as the youth courts, are more effective tools for providing diversionary efforts for youth when compared with traditional juvenile court procedures. These two systems focus more on restoring the youth, promoting recovery, and ensuring they grow to be more valuable people in society rather than the traditional punishment system. Restorative justice seeks to hold juveniles accountable for their actions and promotes restoration and relationship-building between them and those to whom they caused harm (Hazrati & Heffron, 2021). This correction system could help prevent young people from becoming involved in deviant behaviors in the future.
Youth courts, usually run by volunteers, are another means the educational fraternity and its stakeholders use to prevent and repair youth risk behaviors. The judge, usually a volunteer appointed to handle minor cases, listens to the case from both points of view and formulates a plan to repair the harm caused. At-risk youth who participate in these courts receive consequences for their actions through minor punishments but are also allowed to learn from their shortcomings.
Youth courts are an effective diversionary strategy, as many young people hate going to them, thus preventing them from engaging in criminal behaviors. Youth courts and restorative justice systems are known to bring positive results and foster the sustainable development of a child (McKenna & Holtfreter, 2020). Therefore, stakeholders should push to ensure they are set up in as many educational facilities as possible for the general well-being of at-risk youth.
Conclusion
They could benefit from diversionary strategies such as nutrition and early intervention programs, parenting classes and treatments, mentoring and after-school programs, and restorative justice projects. Parents should prioritize therapy sessions and receive education on how to deal with their children because they spend a lot of time with them. To increase the well-being of the young, the stakeholders must also understand the impact of biological deficiencies and implement strategies, including early intervention programs, nutritional counseling, and support. Social initiatives such as after-school programs and mentoring sessions would also help the at-risk youth by limiting time for delinquent activities and giving them a mentor to look up to. Finally, juvenile youth restorative sessions and courts could correct the at-risk youth and guide them on the path to leading a just life.
References
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