For immediate release 17 February 2009

Military Style Training Just Part Of The Solution

Initiatives to address youth offending announced yesterday are important to deal with our worst offenders, but unless they are partnered with effective preventative programmes New Zealand’s negative youth statistics will not improve according to Graeme Dingle, co-founder of the Foundation for Youth Development.

“Society cannot ignore the behavior of recidivist young offenders,” says Dingle. “It is critical that we invest in proven youth intervention programmes before children are attracted to anti-social behavior.”

Dingle is adamant that without preventative programmes we will not break the cycle of offending in our communities.

Part of the Foundation for Youth Development’s success Dingle explains, is that by giving young people encouragement and self-confidence they aspire to a positive and successful life. “This focus on achievement is entirely consistent with the Government’s philosophies to lift education standards, reduce truancy and help people to help themselves.”

“An investment in building values and growing ambition through life-skills programmes such as Project K, Stars and Kiwi Can is a far lower long-term cost to the community,” he says.

For more information on the Foundation for Youth Development and its programmes: Project K, Stars and Kiwi Can. please visit www.fyd.org.nz.

ENDS

Foundation for Youth Development:

Foundation for Youth Development, a not-for-profit organisation founded by Graeme Dingle and Jo-anne Wilkinson is a leader in the field of youth development in New Zealand with over 16,000 young people in its programmes. Foundation for Youth Development provides young people from age 5 to 18 with the opportunity to build self-confidence, and learn valuable life skills by participating in unique development programmes. Current programmes include Kiwi Can, Stars and Project K. Foundation for Youth Development has a strategy of sequencing programmes to ensure young people get maximum support from the time they start school, aged 5, right through to being seniors in secondary school. www.fyd.org.nz

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