Youth at risk fail at school, have mental health issues and get in trouble with the law. Would they be better served if all three systems – education, mental health and justice – worked together?

That question animated discussion at a recent forum organized by the 91ŃÇÉ« Centre for Education and Community (YCEC). Sponsored by 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education and the Department of Justice, the March 18 forum, called "Youth, Mental Health, and the Justice System: An Educational Concern", brought together academics and practitioners from universities, community-based organizations, school boards, the health sector, the justice system and government agencies.

Participants talked about the challenges of helping wayward youth and recommended ways to integrate systems. The recommendations will be featured in a report to be shared with the Department of Justice and are expected to form the basis of future changes.

, director of the Community Health Systems Resource Group, , acted as forum facilitator. In his opening remarks, he said young people can experience one or all of three factors – school failure, poor mental health and trouble with the law. “We know that certain groups are more likely to be in conflict with the law, and that there are risk factors,” he said, and encouraged participants to “dig into your experiences today and help us to understand how we can address issues of equity, so that we have not only equal access but also equal outcomes for all our youth.”

The forum began with a panel featuring , lawyer and education professor at 91ŃÇÉ«; , director of the Centre for Children Committing Offences & Program Development, Child Development Institute; , Distinguished Research Fellow in 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education; and Llewellyn Joseph, medical director of the Regional Outpatient Disruptive Behaviors Program at , and YCEC Advisory Council member.

Shanahan opened by exploring the question: “Can we keep disruptive youth in the education system?” She offered a legal perspective on the discipline of wayward youth in schools, acknowledging the limitations of the law and education legislation that emphasizes safety in schools. She called for alternative approaches to dealing with wayward behavior in youth.

Augimeri described her work with “the forgotten kids” (aged six to 12 years) and “overshadowed girls” within this demographic, using the model, an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based program that identifies and works with children under 12 at risk of becoming involved (or already involved) with the law. She said “there is hope” because early intervention strategies tend to have the biggest impact on the younger age group.

Britzman discussed the fragile interaction of youth, law, desire and mental health. She offered philosophical and psychoanalytical views of adolescence and education, drawing from the work of Helene Deutsch, François Roustang, Anna Freud and Julia Kristeva.

Joseph, an experienced child and adolescent psychiatrist, provided an historical overview of the Canadian policy landscape vis-à-vis mental health, education and the law. Through case study examples, he explained the challenges of intervening with youth in conflict with the law. “One of the dilemmas is trying to determine whether that acting out behaviour presented in adolescence, or even early adolescence, is early bipolar disorder and should be labeled as mental health, or should be considered criminal behaviour.”

During ensuing round-table discussions, participants suggested improvements to all three systems – education, mental health and justice – and agreed that the greatest need for change exists where these systems intersect. They stressed repeatedly that the needs of youth can be met only if the three systems work together.  When that happens, said one participant, “we can create an environment where youth feel that people care about them.”

Participants deplored the punitive approach and incarceration for young people favoured by the government and in social discourse. Those working in medical and justice systems noted the increase in mentally ill individuals in prisons and detention facilities, and the limited capacity of the youth criminal justice system to meet the needs of youth, particularly those facing mental health challenges.

Lack of trust between youth and police is a significant factor in setting youth on life trajectories that involve repeated conflict with the law, said participants. “Youth from certain communities are being over-policed,” said one participant. Those communities tend to be where there are large concentrations of people of colour or Aboriginal populations. Participants stressed the need for all three systems to identify and address systemic racism as it affects young people.

To be successful, programs need to be multidimensional, target kids in elementary school, be consistent and sustainable, and engage community, youth and families, said participants. Programs need to foster strong, trusting relationships between youth and adults, and offer a variety of supports, including academic, health, social, recreational and cultural, they said.

Legislation must not punish but help and support young people who get in trouble, insisted participants. Youth must be encouraged to stay in school to improve their chances of success and avoid conflict with the law. Teachers must be trained and schools given resources to address mental health issues of children and youth at risk, they concluded.

The forum was organized by Carl James, YCEC director, and , dean of 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education.

Facilitating discussions were 91ŃÇÉ« education Professors Susan Dion, Nombuso Dlamini, John Ippolito, James and Shanahan; and geography Professor Ranu Basu.

Round-table discussions featured members of the YCEC advisory council: Mary Anne Chambers, Cheryl Jackson, Llewellyn Joseph, Amos Key Jr., Cheryl Prescod and Chandra Turner.

Taking notes were graduate students Melanie Bourke, Selom Chapman-Nyaho, Rebeca Gutierrez Estrada, Danielle Kwan-Lafond, Krysta Pandolfi and Samuel Tecle.

With files from Louise Gormley, research assistant, 91ŃÇÉ« Centre for Education & Community

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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More than 200 people, many of them senior educators, members of the community and representatives of government agencies, joined with 91ŃÇÉ« faculty and students in celebrating the launch of the Faculty of Education’s first Organized Research Unit (ORU), the 91ŃÇÉ« Centre for Education & Community (YCEC), on Oct. 22. The successful event was held at the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre in the Accolade East building.

Left: Mary Anne Chambers, Ontario's former minister of children and youth services, with Carl James, director of the 91ŃÇÉ« Centre for Education & Community

As an ORU, the centre will be involved in research activities on the appropriate and efficient delivery of educational programs in both formal and informal educational settings.

In their remarks at the event, Alice Pitt, dean of the Faculty of Education, and Carl James, the Centre’s director, noted that the YCEC builds on the Faculty of Education’s more than 17 years of experience working in Jane-Finch schools and the community, as well as in the outer suburban schools. James also noted that the centre continues 91ŃÇɫ’s history of being socially responsible, community-minded and accessible to members of communities, giving attention to interdisciplinarity, diversity, social justice and equality of opportunity.

The evening’s entertainment was provided by the talented stage band from Emery Collegiate Institute, a school in the 91ŃÇÉ«-Westview Partnership. As host of the event, James welcomed Amos Key, executive director of the Woodland Cultural Centre, who gave the invocation in recognition of the Aboriginal peoples of this territory. Key, who is also a faithkeeper from the Mohawk Turtle Clan of Six Nations of the Grand River, is one of 10 members of the Centre’s advisory council who were in attendance.

Left: Amos Key

Speakers for the evening included Rhonda Lenton, associate vice-president, academic, who brought greetings from the Office of the President and 91ŃÇɫ’s senior administration, Pitt and Stephen Gaetz, associate dean of research & field development. Pitt also recognized special guests, including former MP Jean Augustine, Ontario’s fairness commissioner and sponsor of the new Jean Augustine Chair in Education in the New Urban Environment in the Faculty of Education.

Mary Anne Chambers, Ontario’s former minister of children and youth services and former minister of training, colleges and universities, gave the keynote address, titled “Access to Opportunity – an imperative not to be ignored”. Chambers spoke about the gap between young people’s dreams and their achievements, and of the need for healthy communities that will lead to productive, inclusive and effective educational programs and practices.

Chambers complimented the Faculty of Education for taking the crucial step of inaugurating the 91ŃÇÉ« Centre for Education & Community. She also expressed her hope that all involved in the centre will demonstrate a commitment to building stronger communities by conducting and disseminating widely research that engages communities in exploring all possibilities for helping young people achieve their full potential. Chambers ended by challenging educators and researchers to be passionate and committed community builders.

The 91ŃÇÉ« Centre for Education & Community was established to enable, support and encourage opportunities for collaborative inquiry and innovative programs among faculty members, education researchers, educational administrators, teachers and learners, community and government agencies, and graduate students. Through collaborative research and initiatives, the centre will also contribute to the development of policies, programs and practices in education that strengthen the intricate links that exist between education and community.

For example, the YCEC, in partnership with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario through the Equity and Women’s Services Department, will host a one-day workshop on Nov. 17 to encourage Grade 7 & 8 students from under-represented groups to consider a career in teaching. Students will learn about the teaching profession and how to become a teacher in Ontario. Participating teachers will have the opportunity to find out about programs in their areas that support such initiatives.

The YCEC together with the Toronto District School Board is conducting a three-year project titled School and Community Engaged Education (SCEE), initiated in 2008. The SCEE project team works with teachers in five schools to develop more inclusive curriculum and programs that are responsive to students’ cultural, social and economic needs, interests and circumstances, thereby improving students’ participation and achievement in schools. The idea is that an inclusive approach to curriculum and pedagogy correlates with an understanding of community life and the experiences of students.

To find out more, visit the YCEC Web site, where a 33-minute audio file of is also available.

From YFile - 91ŃÇÉ«'s daily e-bulletin

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