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Varhad Youth Conference |
| (A Community Based Crime
Prevention Programme) |
| While working
in the prison setting, we felt the need to take initiative in crime
prevention at community level. We intervene when the crime is committed
but there is urgent need to intervene on the community level where
the young population is on the urge to adopt criminal behaviour.
It is observed that in urban areas basically youth form slums areas
get involve in the crime. The involvement of the youth in the crime
is either because of disturbed family background, or the anti social
company they keep or the urge to earn money in short period of time.
The youth group from any community flows with the energy, enthusiasm
or urge to assert their identity. To achieve this some times they
adopt anti-social behavior, which may lead to criminal activity.
The youth form the slum areas are generally dropped-out from schools
& colleges. This is the population who is engage in marginal
income generation activity & hang out on the street in evening
hours. They vest their energy to assert their identity there. They
do not find the proper way to channelise their enthusiasm, their
energy in constructive activity. Therefore to trap this population
who may fall in criminal activity, Varhad initiated community based
crime prevention programme through Varhad Youth Conference. Social
worker and volunteers work together with youth in the age group
of 16 to 30 years for crime prevention and development of the youth
in particular & society in general. Youth from various communities
in slums and colleges in the city are actively involved in the programme.
We started Varhad Youth Conference (VYC) with the following objectives. |
1 |
Facilitate the coordination for crime
prevention. |
2 |
Establish youth center in targeted neighbourhood. |
3 |
Mobilized community based groups and implement
activities for target groups. |
4 |
Support, and facilitate the development and implementation
of integrated community based crime prevention strategies at local
level |
5 |
Improve police contact, police - community relations,
& joint efforts for crime prevention |
6 |
Strengthen social support to youth who is vulnerable
to crime (as an offender or victim). |
7 |
Long-term intervention with youth in colleges for
crime prevention. |
We have opened
the first community based Youth center in Belpura Amravati. The
center is playing an important role in crime prevention in the locality.
We started the activities through which we can engage the time of
this population in the constructive activity. This training would
help them to acquire the skills, which would give them the earning
source as well as stability in the life. Our workers have observed
that the involvement of the youth in mobile theft, motorcycle theft
is increasing day by day. For the youth from the various colleges
in Amravati, we have started awareness generating programmes on
“Drug Addiction”, “HIV-AIDS” “Crime-Prevention”.
To assert the values & patriotic thinking in youth we have even
initiated the rallies to emphasis the work done by the great leaders
like Bhagat Singh, Shri Shatrapati Shahu Maharaj. |
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