'Stand As One': mentoring at the
Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre

2010 has been a very exciting year for SHINE for Kids mentoring, which is now extending its reach to offer a program for young people transitioning from a Juvenile Justice Centre back into the community.

Young people leaving the juvenile justice system may be at risk of reoffending; studies have shown that its incidence is dependent on the degree of support received by the young people upon leaving a centre. SHINE for Kids aims to reduce the recidivism rates of young offenders by linking detainees with a mentor to assist them through their transitional period and to promote attitudinal change within the mentee.

Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre, the only centre of its kind in New South Wales, is located at Kariong near Gosford. The centre accommodates up to 120 young men aged 16 to 21 years.

Last September SHINE for Kids began holding meetings with the detainees at Frank Baxter to explain the concept of mentoring and to engage them in a competition to name the program and create the artwork for the posters and brochures. As well as familiarising the detainees with the program, the competition gave them some ownership of it – increasing their willingness to actively engage with the program.

Great support was given by the staff of the Visual Arts Department at Girrakool School who encouraged all the detainees to participate. Through their support, many of the detainees attempted their very first artwork. The surprisingly wide variety of media ranged from lead-pencil sketches and canvas paintings to computer-generated graphics and Aboriginal artwork.

This experience was very powerful for one 16-year-old Aboriginal boy who completed his first piece of contemporary Aboriginal art. This was the first time that he had openly expressed happiness and a sense of self-worth and was extremely proud and excited to enter it in the competition.

The winning name was 'Stand As One'. The artwork was judged separately to the name; the winning work, showing silhouettes of a mentor "helping up" his mentee onto a podium-style shape, was the winning concept. Along with some ideas from the other entries, this art has been adapted into a logo for the program by SHINE for Kids Club 1000 supporter Cyberdog Design.

SHINE for Kids congratulated all the participants for their enthusiasm, participation and the impressive artwork that they have shared with us, with an awards ceremony at the Centre on 10 December 2010. As well as the winners and the participants, teacher Helene Culleton was also recognised for her efforts in empowering young people through participation in the competition.

Entries in the Juvenile Justice mentoring program logo/name competition

First place – artwork; equal first place – name

Runner-up – artwork

Equal first place – name

Runner-up – name