ASE: Youth and Community Cultural Enrichment Project

Brief Description

ASE is a community safety and crime prevention project, operated by the Africa Centre in Edmonton, that targets Black youth between the age of 12 to 24 to enhance their protective factors and increase their circles of support through self-efficacy, interpersonal relations, and cultural reconnection.

Goals

The main goals of the ASE program are to:

• Teach Black youth the skills needed to navigate the legal and school systems, increase self-efficacy, strengthen interpersonal relations and emotional management, and access supports;
• Build trusting and working relationships between the African community and representatives of the Justice system; and
• Strengthen the cultural identities of Black youth in the community

Clientele

The appropriate clientele for the project are at-risk Black youth between the ages of 12 to 24 years old. The target population was reached through working relationships with the Edmonton school board, Edmonton police service, City of Edmonton, and various ethno-cultural communities.

Core Components

The ASE program enhances the protective factors and circles of support for Black youth through various means. One-on-one services (e.g., care plans, translation services, support through legal and disciplinary processes, mentorship arrangements), workshops and presentations (e.g., educational workshops for parents, Wisdom Keepers circles, cultural identity workshops), and community events (e.g., basketball sessions, cultural events) are held at various points to address the differing needs of the youth.

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: The lead organization must ensure that the program is in line with community needs.
• Partnerships: The success of the ASE program depends on its partnerships with Native Counselling Services of Alberta, Edmonton police services, Edmonton school boards, the city of Edmonton and various ethno-cultural communities.
• Training and technical assistance: Training to assist program staff develop and deliver court support services to program clientele was provided by Native Counselling Services of Alberta.
• Risk assessment tools: Limited information on this topic.
• Materials & resources: Limited information on this topic.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: Not applicable.
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

The ASE program was implemented in Edmonton, Alberta from 2017 to 2019 by the Africa Centre. Funding was provided through the Civil Forfeiture Grant, Government of Alberta.

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

No information available.

Cost Information

A social return on investment (SROI) was conducted on year 2 of ASE in 2019. The findings have shown the following:

• The ratio for ASE is 1.68:1, which shows that for every dollar invested in the program, an average of $1.68 in social value was created; and
• This value is realized by a reduction in the cost of justice system involvement, high school dropouts, and mental health outcomes.

References

There is no Canadian reference available at this time.

For more information on this program, contact:

Africa Centre

Suite 106, 6770-129 Avenue

Edmonton, Alberta, T5C 1V7

Telephone: (780) 455-5423

E-mail: info@africacentre.ca

Website: www.africacentre.ca