Living Rock’s GPS: New Pathways for Youth   Public Safety Canada’s National Crime Prevention Centre

GPS targets youth between the ages of 13-25 years old that are high-risk of gang involvement. GPS offers them a new direction for their lives. The premise for this initiative is to identify and address five risk factors that affect their lives: individual choices, family concerns, peer relations, community relations, and schooling challenges. By identifying and addressing these factors, the risk   lessens for gang involvement and heightens the personal success of the youth.
The youth who enter this initiative come through community partnerships such as the Notre Dame Youth Shelter, Hamilton   Wentworth Detention Centre, street outreach programs and ‘Freestyle Fridays’ at the Rock. To determine eligibility for the program, each youth completes a Self Discovery Quiz. After eligibility and consent, the youth complete a Youth Survey to help identify their risk factors to be addressed during case management.  A Plan of Care is then developed with the youth by the coach which includes a educational (essential skills) and mental health assessment. Regular meetings and programming are then used to monitor progress.  The youth will participate in cooking, work crews, self-esteem programs, sports and  leadership retreats. A Post Survey is done every six months to continue to understand the personal growth of the youth and determine their needs for the program.

GPS is evaluated by R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. (an independent national evaluation team) and the Community   Advisory Team (other community agency members). This is the largest initiative that the Living Rock has encountered to date.