Recent headlines paint a dismal picture of the failures of the youth justice system. They tell of boys in detention being sat on by guards and children pleading guilty to crimes they did not commit. In some communities, residents are grappling with increases in youth crime and many say they don’t feel the youth justice system is working. For 14 years, Leanne Joseph has devoted herself to this system. She said she wished more people knew about the life-changing achievements made by youth workers behind the scenes. A twelve year-old Mount Isa child is asked about his evening, before being driven home by police. ( : Harriet Tatham ) “Just because you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean great things aren’t happening in this area every day,” she said. Ms Joseph and her colleague Kimmi Unsworth were recently awarded for their work in the Queensland Youth Justice Transition to Success program in the outback city of Mount Isa. Over the past year, the two women facilitated the employment of nine at-risk young people, in a community that saw youth crime offences jump 18 per cent compared to the same time last year. “Every life is important,” Ms Joseph said. Kimmi Unsworth (left) and Leanne Joseph have won awards for their work with at-risk youth. ( North West Qld: Emily Dobson ) “Every day, we are helping these young people get jobs, pursue education, explore interests, get a tax file number, a bank account, a birth certificate, Medicare cards. “The other day we had one of our young people, who is extremely shy, present for an interview and get the job.” Ms Unsworth said the most rewarding part of the job was being able to offer a fork in the road to young people. “Some of them have never thought they could be where they are today,” she said. “But because of the work our entire community does, these young people are going on to opportunities they’ve never dreamed of.” Sergeant Sewell’s Love Bites program has been recognised as exemplary. ( North West Queensland: Kelly Butterworth ) Sergeant Aimee Sewell is the Youth Engagement Officer at the Mount Isa Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC). One of her youth programs was highlighted as an exemplary service in the recent Queensland inquiry into police responses to domestic violence. The Love Bites program teaches respectful relationships to teenagers and is adopted in schools across Australia. Sergeant Sewell adapted the program to better assist youth who are perpetrators of domestic violence in the Mount Isa community. The program has only been running since May, but has already had an impact on its five participants. “We have a 13-year-old male who had approximately eight domestic and family violence occurrences, including six breaches of serious violence,” Sergeant Sewell said. “Since participation there was only one occurrence and that was him as an aggrieved. During that incident he actually sought advice from police and was congratulated for his behaviour.” Providing employment and education opportunities were the most successful in helping at-risk youth. ( North West Queensland: Emily Bissland ) A 17-year-old who participated in the program had three domestic violence incidents since January 2022 and had a 15-year-old partner who was pregnant. Since engaging in Sergeant Sewell’s program, the young person was able to gain employment, was assisted in finding better accommodation, gained a drivers licence and had not committed any other offences. “A more holistic approach to building the young person’s capacity makes a huge difference to their long-term success,” Sergeant Sewell said. Acting Senior Constable Aimee Sewell moved to Mount Isa for a year, and has stayed for almost four with no plans to leave. ( Western Queensland: Kelly Butterworth. ) Local news direct to your inbox North West Qld will deliver a wrap of the week’s news, stories and photos every Tuesday. Sign up here
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