Young in Prison Young in Prison in The Netherlands

Creativity liberates  and reduces the re-offending rate of youth prisoners by letting them discover their talents

Giving young prisoners a better future by developing their talents and social skills reduces the rate of re-offending. The Young in Prison programme prepares youngsters for a life out of prison. In Malawi, Colombia and South Africa re-offending rates have dropped from 80% to 20% after the Youth in Prison intervention. During an E-Motive exchange Dutch professionals from the youth sector learned how to implement this method for youth prisoners.


How to improve the reintegration of young prisoners in Dutch society?

The rate of re-offending by Dutch young prisoners is extremely high, around 50%. Current methods of preparing youngsters for a life out of prison and preventing a relapse have had little success. A more constructive approach is needed, one that connects with the world of young prisoners. Social workers involved with youths, expressed their interest in learning from YiP on how toimprove their skills in applying the YiP approach.


Developing talents leads to changes in the mindset

In the Young in Prison programme, youngsters explore their talents in music, dance, rap, theatre, art or sports, to mention but a few. This changes their mindsets: young prisoners who believe that they are nothing and can do nothing, discover that they are good at something. This gives them confidence. Also, by reflecting on their choices and options and making a (business) plan for after their release from prison, these youngsters start to take more responsibility for their lives. Key factor is that the professionals working through YiP are involved with the youths from the moment they are imprisoned until 6 months after their release.


YiP-method introduced in Dutch youth prisons

In October 2013 workshop facilitators from South Africa, Malawi and Kenya started a 5-day tour and worked with all told 400 juvenile delinquents, inspiring along the way 80 employees of 4 Dutch youth prisons  to apply the YiP approach. The final aim is to develop and integrate the YiP method at Dutch institutions and strengthen the capacity of providers of the YiP method. In 2014 the facilitators will continue their work to reach that ambition.


Sharing pedagogical and methodological ideas

The Southern partners acquired experience in facilitating workshops with Dutch juvenile delinquents in an environment of cultural differences, which strengthened their capacity as foreign facilitators. They had the opportunity to exchange on pedagogical and methodological themes with  their Dutch peers and pedagogical staff of the institutions,
In South Africa people were at first cautious about the exchange. In theNetherlands everything is much better developed. What can we teach them, they thought. That is not the case. Despite the many workshops organized at Dutch prisons, the rate of re-offending is still high among youths.

YouTube video on this page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r01E11bSNo


Method

The YiP methodology was co-developed by YiP NL and the YiP network of Colombia, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa. Over the last 10 years the method has proved to be successful in these Southern countries and has provided over 15.000 youngsters with a better future in freedom.

The innovative method consists of an integrated approach linking creative and sports activities for youths with developing the social and emotional skills they need once out of prison. It focuses on the already existing talents of youths, with the aim of further exploring and developing them. Key is that the people working through YiP are involved with the youths from the moment they are imprisoned until 6 months after their release. There is a strong focus on the role of social workers employed inside prisons: during the training sessions they develop role model traits and specific tools for working with youths in a more inspired and passionate manner.

YiP reaches around 2,800 youths in prison every year in Colombia, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa. Thanks to the intensive mentoring process after incarceration, 40% of these children and youths returns to school when released, another 40% is in job training or finds a job, and 15% is in the process of finding a job. Only 5% re-offends.