Funding Update

Funding Youth Justice

The Youth Justice Renewal Initiative calls for a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to youth justice. The objectives of the Initiative are to:

• Enable greater citizen/community participation in the youth justice system;
• Increase public confidence in the youth justice system;
• Improve public protection by reducing youth crime;
• Increase the use of measures outside the formal court process;
• Reduce the over reliance on custody;
• Increase the emphasis on rehabilitation and reintegration of young offenders; and
• Target measures for violent offenders.

The Youth Justice Renewal Fund targets projects that contribute to the achievement of the broad goals of the Youth Justice Renewal Initiative, as set out above.

Through the Youth Justice Renewal Fund:

• Provincial and territorial ministries responsible for youth justice may apply for Grants and Contributions to assist them and their partners in assuming effective roles in the continuing implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act that are in keeping with the underlying principles of the Youth Justice Renewal Initiative.
• In support of the Youth Justice Renewal Initiative, NGOs and aboriginal organizations who are active/interested in youth justice issues may apply for grants and contributions to:

1. Test innovative features of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Of particular interest have been projects on extrajudicial measures, youth justice committees, pre-trial detention, new sentencing options, custody and reintegration;
2. Broaden the range and nature of community groups involved in the renewal of youth justice in Canada (e.g., education sector, arts and recreation; child advocates; mental health professionals; those in the helping professions) and;
3. Inform Canadians about the Youth Justice Renewal Initiative and the Youth Criminal Justice Act in order to contribute to increased public understanding, participation, confidence and trust in the justice system;
• Aboriginal Communities may also apply for grants and contributions to develop their capacity to participate in and/or deliver community-based youth justice options contained the Youth Criminal Justice Act. These options include extrajudicial measures and sanctions, alternatives to pre-trial detention, community reintegration and the development and implementation of community-based sentences.

For Further Information, contact:

Elizabeth Hendy
Youth Justice Policy
Department of Justice Canada
180 Elgin Street, 7th floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8
Tel: (613) 954-3140
Fax: (613) 954-3275

YOUTH JUSTICE RENEWAL FUND
CITIES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
FY 2006/07
Deadline for Application: August 31, 2006

The Department of Justice Canada (Youth Justice Policy) is interested in funding projects that enable greater citizen/community participation in the youth justice system (including within Aboriginal communities); to encourage partnerships among traditional and non-traditional youth justice partners; and to encourage collaborative responses to a number of youth justice needs, within a community, by working with other funders and/or community organizations.

Details on Type of Proposals Sought
Priorities:

• Providing alternatives to pre-trial detention;
• Supporting links between the justice system and appropriate services for high-risk youth who have repeated previous contact with the youth justice system and are at-risk of being in conflict with the law again;
• Gang involved youth;
• Reducing the over-representation of aboriginal youth in the justice system; and
• Special needs/emerging youth justice issues.

Activities eligible for funding support could include:

• Supporting collaborative multi-partner responses within targeted cities or communities - by working with other funders and/or community organizations;
• Supporting the development of capacity within Aboriginal organizations and communities to deliver community-based youth justice services in order to help reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal youth in the justice system;
• Organization and hosting of meetings between youth justice service providers and stakeholders and other service providers such as education, employment, housing and recreation to examine how services can be better co-ordinated for youth in conflict with the law;
• The development and implementation of practices and/or models that facilitate community involvement (including other service providers) at any stage of the youth justice system that respond to youth in conflict with the law with unique needs including addicted youth, youth with mental health issues, female offenders; and youth with FASD;
• Regional or national activities that encourage the sharing of information on programs and services, including best practices and lessons learned;
• Undertaking an examination of existing youth justice practices in order to understand and develop responses that could contribute to a fairer and more effective youth justice system for youth in conflict with the law.

To Apply

Submit a Letter of Intent, less than five pages long, to Youth Justice Policy by August 31, 2006.
Ensure it includes all the following information:

• A clear outline of the project's objective(s) and how these address one of the categories identified in the call for proposals;
• An outline of the need for the proposed activity;
• A description of the project's outcomes or deliverables;
• The proposed start and end dates (the start date can be no earlier than October 15th, 2006);
• An overview of budget requirements.

If you omit any of these requirements in your Letter of Intent your project will not be considered under this Call for Proposals.
Youth Justice Policy will review Letters of Intent for the quality, relevance, feasibility and impact of the proposed projects. Organizations that submit Letters of Intent that best meet the objectives of the Cities and Community Partnerships Funding will be invited to submit a detailed proposal. All organizations, including organizations that are not invited to submit a detailed proposal, will receive a letter notifying them of Youth Justice Policy's decision by September 30, 2006.
Total funding is limited; therefore, Youth Justice Policy will not necessarily be able to fund projects in all the above-noted categories through this Call for Proposals.
Funding is currently available until March 31, 2008.

Submit your Letters of Intent to :
Youth Justice Policy
Call for Proposals: Cities and Community Partnerships
Department of Justice Canada
180 Elgin Street, 7th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0R5