NRL great Johnathan Thurston has signed a multimillion-dollar partnership with the Queensland government aimed at helping at-risk youth stay out of the criminal justice system.
Between 10-15 children will participate in the $4.73 million 10-week program beginning in Cairns, which will include goal setting, mentoring, cultural engagement, and post-program support.
The program – which will also expand to Townsville and Mt Isa within two years – follows a five year partnership between Queensland police and the Johnathan Thurston Academy.
Thurston said on Saturday the larger roll out of the academy’s You Got This Program will allow participants to have up to 50 hours of face-to-face time with trained mentors.
“These kids come from tough background and the JT Academy wraps their arms around them,” Thurston said.
“It’s the hook to get them in before we talk to them about values, what they want to do with their life, and what they want to achieve.
“This program has been very successful and it’s great we can work together to roll this out.”
The four-day You Got This program was run in 17 locations including Cairns, Mareeba, Mount Isa, Townsville, Logan, Zillmere and Brisbane.
The University of the Sunshine Coast found the program helped reduce offending and improved young peoples’ relationships with police.
Having faced with criticism of her government’s handling of youth justice programs, Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new program would help “break the cycle of repeat offending” and build a better future for young people.
“Sometimes it is these small amounts of money in the budget that can have the biggest transformational impact on people‘s lives,” she said.
“As a government, we will continue to prioritise community safety and invest in initiatives with a proven track record.
“I’m proud our government can partner with JT and the JT Academy to expand their successful program to reach more at-risk Queenslanders.
“There is no better role model for kids than Johnathan Thurston, who is already making a genuine difference in the lives of young people.”
said the new program would help “break the cycle of repeat offending” and build a better future for young people. John Gass
Credit: News Corp AustraliaA recent report by advocacy group Justice Reform Initiative found Queensland locked more children than other state.
As many as 267 children are imprisoned across the state on an average night – a rate more than three times higher than in the more populous state of Victoria, the report writers found.
Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer said the government knew of the need to focus on intervening early with disengaged children to prevent them entering the youth justice system.
“This is why we are making a record investment in early intervention and prevention programs in the places where they are needed, including Cairns, Townsville, and Mt Isa,” Ms Farmer said.