
The Youth Outreach Program serves as a central point of entry and works in collaboration with the Shannon and Youth CHOICES partner organizations to provide individualized services in order to reduce gang crime and youth violence. The program is focused on building long-term relationships with youth most at-risk for violence and gang activity and linking them to pro-social services and activities.
The program’s outreach workers connect with at-risk youth in the community, at school, and other areas where youth gather, to build mentoring relationships and to identify strengths and areas of need. The outreach workers provide individual counseling to the juveniles and encourage them to take positive actions to improve their lives. The program links youth and their families to appropriate services that provide positive alternatives to destructive behaviors. Workers also provide support to the families and work closely with them to address underlying causes of negative behaviors.
This comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach promotes a positive and healthy lifestyle and provides our community’s youth with new opportunities for personal growth and success.
The Shannon Initiative
Through five core strategies of suppression, social intervention, opportunities, community mobilization, and organizational change and development, the collaborative works to promote a more peaceful community. The goal is to develop and implement plans, programs and policies that address the reasons why youths join gangs and commit violence. Utilizing a mutual and comprehensive approach, the group actively addresses suppression strategies to attempt to address all components of gang involvement and youth violence.
Safe And Successful Youth Initiative
The purpose of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) is to help cities with documented high levels of youth violence over the past five years reduce youth violence at the community level.
The Greater Fall River RE-CREATION Youth Outreach Program (YOP) serves as a central hub for referrals for this initiative and works in collaboration with numerous partner organizations within the Fall River community. The program uses a case management model to identify “proven risk” youth, connect them and their families to pro-social activities and services, and provide ongoing monitoring and supervision to help reduce gang crime and youth violence.
The SSYI focuses on intervention with a goal of supporting a full continuum of mandated services to the target population and their families with a focus on education, employment and health.
Partners:
Members of the Youth CHOICES Collaborative and the Shannon Partnership include:
- School personnel
- Law enforcement officers
- Probation officers
- Parole officers
- City agencies
- Social service providers
- Outreach workers
Services:
- Counseling and anger management
- Education and vocational training
- GED preparation
- Job training and placement
- Intervention/prevention programs
- Mentoring
- Recreational and social activities
- After-school programs
- Youth development programs
Mental health and substance abuse treatment
Join Our Email Newsletter