What We Do

We use restorative practices to keep young people out of the justice system and help them work towards a more positive future.

Research has overwhelmingly shown the harmful effects of charging and punishing youth. Young people who are charged are less likely to succeed in school or find stable employment and are more likely to reoffend. Our responses to adolescent misbehaviour must meet the needs of young people, support their development, and empower them to build on their strengths and capabilities.

Peacebuilders’ Restorative Justice programs provide young people with access to justice and diverting them out of the courts before trial. Since 2004, Peacebuilders has run a restorative court-diversion program for youth between the ages of 12 and 18 charged with criminal offences. Our Restorative Justice programs are designed to help young people overcome conflict and reach their full potential.

 

Youth Justice

Advances in neuroscience and research on youth development confirm what we all know: young people are different from adults. The part of the brain responsible for reason and decision-making is not fully developed until one’s mid-twenties, and as a result, young people are more likely to engage in risky behaviours. Most adults admit to engaging  in activities as teens that could have led to arrest—activities they avoid as adults. Even in serious cases, such as robbery or assault, most young people can be safely supported to find a path to a positive future if they are given the right support.

Both Canadian and international law recognize that young people should be treated differently than adults. Youth justice is a distinct area of law with its own legislation that recognizes young people’s heightened vulnerability, fundamental rights, special protections, and diminished moral blameworthiness. Young people have the right to a lawyer and full representation; they appear before judges in specialized youth courts. When young people are held accountable for their actions, the overarching goal is rehabilitation, not punishment.

Despite these special protections, too many young people are charged with criminal offences when the circumstances don’t warrant it. Many of those who are charged have difficulty obtaining good legal representation and finding programs that support their rehabilitation. At Peacebuiders, we’re committed to using the criminal justice system as a last resort; we’re dedicated to fundamentally transforming the youth justice system so that it gives young people an opportunity to take responsibility for their actions, work through conflict and repair harm.

This work begins by meeting kids where they’re at and providing services that wrap around the individual and adapt to their needs. It means understanding who they are and how to best support them to make decisions that lead to a positive future—and keeping them out of the criminal justice system.

Leaders of Tomorrow is a weekly program for youth between the ages of 12 and 18, based at the MLSE LaunchPad. Each week, youth come together in peer-led Peacebuilding Circles to engage in conversations about values such as respect, empathy, responsibility, and courage. These circles encourage positive communication, decision-making and peer-mentorship skills. Most importantly, the circles provide young people with a safe space to explore their thoughts and feelings.

The MLSE LaunchPad, located in Moss Park, is an ambitious ‘living lab’ designed to explore and measure how sport can help improve the lives of youth. The 42,000 square foot space is an incubator for collaboration. In addition to sports programs developed by MLSE’s team of coaches, the LaunchPad hosts expert partners who deliver best-in-class programming that support the MLSE LaunchPad’s four pillars: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Ready for School, and Ready for Work.