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Youth Justice Agency Announces Winners of it's 2007 Restorative Justice Poster Competition (21/11/2007)
Grainne Gorman from St Louis Grammar School in Kilkeel has been named as the overall winner of the Youth Justice Agency’s Restorative Justice Poster Competition 2007 at a special awards ceremony held at Hillsborough Castle.Organised by the Agency’s Youth Conference Service the competition attracted many high quality entries from right across Northern Ireland.
Designed to help raise awareness of the restorative justice work carried out by the Agency the entrants were asked to produce an A4 poster using paints, coloured pencils or crayons that illustrated what restorative justice means to them.
“The standard and creativity of entries we received was very impressive,” said Yvonne Adair, Assistant Director with the Youth Conference Service. “In organising the competition we wanted young people to stop and think about what restorative justice is about and how it affects the community in which they live,” she continued.
The competition entries were judged by Yvonne Adair alongside Dr Suzanne Lyle, Collections Curator for the Arts Council Northern Ireland.
Divided into two distinct age categories for children aged between 10 to 13 and 14 to 17 there were also nine regional winners from Banbridge, Ballymena, Belfast, Fermanagh & Tyrone as well as Foyle. Each of the regional winners will receive a personal iPod as well as sports vouchers for their school or local youth club. Grainne’s winning entry will also be used in future Agency publications.
Now available across Northern Ireland the Youth Conference Service is helping many young people who have committed an offence accept responsibility for their actions and stop re-offending.
“At these conferences the offender together with a trained Youth Conference Co-ordinator discusses the offence, detailing how and why it was committed, the impact it has had not only on the victim, but their family, the offender’s family and the wider community,” said Yvonne.
“This is in no way a soft option for young offenders and evidence clearly shows that restorative conferencing satisfies victims better than any other sentence. Victims’ views are taken into consideration and real redress is made for the harm caused,” she continued.
Victims attending a conference can request that a number of stipulations be made as part of the young person’s conference plan including repayment of goods stolen or damaged, community work, a strictly enforced curfew, or a ban from entering private premises such as a local supermarket or shopping centre.
Once agreed the conference plan must be co-signed by the young offender’s parent or legal guardian and then authorised by the local magistrate or Public Prosecution Service representative, who have the power to vary it, as appropriate, before it is finally agreed and enforced.
More information on the competition can be found at www.youthjusticeagencyni.gov.uk
- ENDS.
Notes to Editor:
The regional winners include:
Age category (10-13 year olds):
• Orla Ireland and Grainne Gorman from St Louis Grammar School, Kilkeel.
• Joshua Creelin from 9th Boys Brigade, Ballymena.
• Gemma Livingston from St. Patrick’s High School, Lisburn.
• Esther Shaw from Grosvenor Grammar School, Belfast.
• Hannah Lindsay, from Pomeroy Badminton Club, Tyrone.
• Gavin Burns from Magherafelt.
Age category (14-17 year olds):
• Peter Thompson from Cambridge House Grammar School, Ballymena.
• Kirsty Miskimmin from Donaghadee High School, Donaghadee.
• David Glendinning from Kilymoon Rangers Football Club, Cookstown.
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