• Youth program receives $2.6 million
• 75% success rate
• Local issues not isolated to region 

Young people at risk in Far North Queensland will get more support to keep out of trouble and redirect their lives under a two-year, $2.6 million State budget initiative.

Member for Cook Jason O'Brien said the Youth Opportunity Program, which will assist young people and their families over a two-year period, has already been successfully piloted over the past three years, assisting more than 250 young offenders from Cairns and Cape York.

Mr O'Brien said that the rates of young indigenous people ending up in detention was still too high compared with that of the general population.

“This program provides some simple supports for those young people at risk, and their families, to prevent them from re-offending and ending up in detention centres; - to allow them another chance to get into training, jobs and lead productive lives.”

Community Services Minister Karen Struthers said youth workers from non-government organisation ACT for Kids had focussed on developing positive supports and influences on young people.

“Put simply, this works,” she said. “Young people were linked to positive peers to provide them with good role models, re-engaged with school and training
and sport and recreation within their communities.

“Over 12 months, three-quarters of them did not re-offend, compared to the general rate of almost half. On top of that, where they did re-offend they committed fewer offences compared to the general rate."

Ms Karen Dini-Paul, Regional Director, ACT for Kids said her organisation is proud to part of such an important initiative.

"We believe our individual developmental interventions with both young people and their families are the best way to achieve positive outcomes for young people," Ms Dini-Paul said.

"Through this approach we have seen many positive outcomes for young people in a range of areas including health; involvement with education or training; connections with community and culture; and development of their skills and talents.  

"We have also seen families become stronger and more confident in caring for their children through the development of their own skills and support networks,” she said.

Senior Constable Maggie Meadows from Mossman Police said that the issues indigenous kids face in our region are no different to that of most non-indigenous children such as bullying and other threatening behaviour using Facebook and texting, truancy from school, and underage drinking..

"The Mossman/Port Douglas Blue Light Association which is run by Mossman and Port Douglas Police and community volunteers aims to help and support indigenous youth through providing drug and alcohol free events such as discos.

"As part of this we run a free bus to the Gorge Community and also hold events in Wujal Wujal to help indigenous youth."

Mossman Police are also running a program called the R.E.A.P. awards (Rewards, Effort, and Attendance Program). The program is a reward system for students that regularly attend classes and or are of a good behaviour.

It was aimed specially at the indigenous students that were having behaviour and truancy issues, and according to Snr Constable Meadows, has been effective in reducing issues.

"Police also have an active part to play in speaking to students and parents about truancy issues. We work very closely with truancy officers of the schools in the community to assist where we can to ensure children attend school," she said.

"I think that the community as a whole understands and recognises that there are a lot of issues affecting youth generally, and especially the indigenous youth. This has a lot more to do with the media more than from any personal experience."