In the Northern Territory the government has announced it will be working with an established youth diversion organisation to “break the cycle of crime”.
Minister for Territory Families Dale Wakefield says the Operation Flinders Foundation will work with the government’s newly established Youth Outreach Workers to deliver early intervention wilderness camps.
The Operation Flinders Foundation was set up in 1991 and takes participants on eight day treks through the far northern Flinders Ranges.
CEO John van Ruth says they are “thrilled” to be working with the Territory government.
The announcement comes a week after Northern Territory-based alternative rehabilitation centre Bushmob said it would be closing its Loves Creek facility located east of Alice Springs due to a funding conflict between it and the government.
Youths can be referred to the program through police, non-governmental organisations and youth outreach workers, with the first cohort expected to attend camps in September.
Minister for Families Dale Wakefield says “preventative programs that provide consistent support from our Youth Outreach Workers are key to helping to get these kids’ lives on the right path and helping them to be accountable for their actions.”
Over the next 12 months, Operation Flinders will work with the Youth Outreach Workers to deliver four, eight-day intensive wilderness camps followed by a three month post-camp program.
Image: By L. J. LaBarthe – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48788553
