YCW

Youth Crime Watch Program Basics

Youth Crime Watch offers young people an active role in reducing crime in their schools and neighborhoods. They own and run their Watch program, with support from adults. Youth Crime Watch challenges youth to reduce drugs, violence, and crime, and it helps youth and adults recognize that youth can and must be a part of civic problem-solving, community partnership development, and crime prevention.

First and foremost, Youth Crime Watch programs are youth-led. A YCW program’s activities will reflect our Watch Out, Help Out crime prevention philosophy and the
three goals of YCWA.
1.  Provide crime-free, drug-free environments through a youth-led  movement.
2.  Instill positive values, foster good citizenship and build self-confidence in young  people
3.  Enable youth to become resources for preventing crime, drug use and violence in their    schools and neighborhoods.

Each Youth Crime Watch has a Core Group of youth leaders that assesses problems; decides on a course of action; and promotes and sustains the program. Each YCW
program implements some combination of our five modules, tailoring the implementation to fit their own situation.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (a part of the U.S. Department of Justice) is a YCW Program Sponsor.  For more information, please go to http://www.ojjdp.gov

Youth Crime Watch  Modules:

Anonymous Crime Reporting, Youth Patrols and Bus Safety
Conflict Resolution and Mediation
Education Programs and Peer Teaching
Bullying
Gang Prevention

Minimum Standards

Every YCWA site must meet the following standards. Recognition as an official site grants the full compliment of resources available from YCWA.

1. Each site will have Dedicated Advisors. The advisor may be a teacher, police officer, community leader, or any other responsible adult, over the age of 21, which will assist the core group with the operations of the site.

2. The site must have youth ownership and a strong core group of at least 6 members.
The core group shall operate in such a manner as to encourage participation by all members of the community/school that the site serves. Everyone should have a sense of ownership.

3. The site must utilize initial technical assistance from YCW and have bi-monthly follow-up. This will ensure that the site is following standard YCW protocol.

4. The site must submit a Census Survey and Site Agreement
This will assure proper accounting for existing and active sites and give a general overview for each site’s population. The purpose of the Site Agreement is to ensure that site administration and advisors acknowledge their roles and responsibilities.

5. Outcome Measures (including data collected) in both Youth Leadership and Crime Prevention. In order for the program to be EVIDENCE BASED, there must be measurement and instruments that allow evaluation.

6. Inclusion of a Crime Reporting element.
Good and responsible citizenship require participants to do the right thing. Safe — and in some cases confidential — crime reporting is strongly encouraged. The main goal is to gain voluntary compliance where everyone does what is right.

7. One additional component in Action Project field.
Youth should focus on those hot topics of the day and especially the issue(s) that they feel most affect them within their environments.

8. Each site shall have a Needs Assessment and Action Plan.
Using a variety of evaluation and reporting instruments (attitude surveys, questionnaires, etc.) to ascertain what the perceived problems are in that environment. From this information, Action Plans can be devised to develop both short and long term solutions.

9. Each site shall have involvement with local Law Enforcement.
It is important that youth reach out to those who are entrusted with assisting us to keep our society safe. It is an individual and collective responsibility to ensure good and responsible working relationships and to build partnerships and bridges within one’s community.

10. Each site shall adhere to minimum YCW Brand standards.
The purpose of being a part of a national and international program is for its members to be able to identify with others of like minds and good will who are also engaged in similar practices and methods where all can identify as being a part of a greater youth movement.

State And National Web Sites

Ignitus Worldwide
Website: http://www.ignitusworldwide.org

National Center for Education Statistics
Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/

Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools
Web site: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html

Florida: Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools
Web site: http://www.unf.edu/dept/fie/sdfs/