News release

Program Helps Aboriginal Youth Offenders get Back on Track

Justice

Outreach workers and Mi'kmaw elders will help young Aboriginal offenders get their lives back on track by strengthening their connections with their culture and community.

The province will offer the Bringing Culture Inside program at the Nova Scotia Youth Facility in Waterville over the next three years, in partnership with the Mi'kmaw Legal Support Network.

Justice Minister Ross Landry announced the new program today, Feb. 27, at the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre in Halifax.

"Reconnecting Aboriginal youth with their culture is extremely important," said Mr. Landry. "Bringing Culture Inside will help offenders reconnect with their community, which in turn will make our communities safer and stronger.

"This project has the potential to positively impact every Aboriginal community in Nova Scotia."

Outreach workers and Mi'kmaw elders will go into the facility and work directly with Aboriginal offenders to explore and celebrate their culture. The youth will be exposed to various cultural elements such as sharing circles and one-on-one time with elders.

Cultural programming will be designed and led by the Mi'kmaw Legal Support Network, in consultation with staff from the facility.

"We are pleased to partner with the provincial and federal governments to offer this important program," said Paula Marshall, executive director of Mi'kmaw Legal Support Network. "In order to tackle root causes of crime, we need to engage our Aboriginal youth in new and meaningful ways."

The program is supported by Justice Canada's Youth Justice Fund for Guns, Gangs and Drugs.

"The government of Canada is proud of the innovative work done with our partners to help rehabilitate youth in conflict with the law who have unique needs," said federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. "Supporting these programs through the Guns, Gangs and Drugs component of the Youth Justice Fund helps keep our communities safe by working with youth and addressing complex issues like youth who are involved in gangs or are at risk of gang involvement in a very direct way."

Bringing Culture Inside supports Nova Scotia's crime prevention efforts. The province invests annually in initiatives that support crime prevention and community safety, including the Lighthouses Program, Additional Officer Program, mental health and domestic violence courts, internationally recognized Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Program and Mi'kmaw Legal Support Network.