WAGS The Dog
  • HOME
  • Contact
  • TRAINING & ASSESSMENT
  • BREEDING & TRAINING THERAPY DOGS
  • VOLUNTEERING YOUR DOG
  • CONSULTANCY
  • IN SCHOOL PROGRAMS
  • Stories from the dog yard
    • Don't chase the dog!
    • What they're not telling you
    • The Great Escape
    • Choice: The Right, Power or Opportunity to Choose
    • Meet you there
    • A cloud of electricity
    • WAIT!
    • Who's problem is youth crime?
    • At the starting gate...
    • Not every action needs a consequence
    • All animals are equal

What does it mean when we say "at-risk"?

Picture
The phase "at risk youth" usually refers to an adolescent who struggles with moderate to severe emotional and behavioural disturbances, which can ultimately lead them into habits which threaten their future and development such as violence, crime and substance abuse.

The term "at risk" can cover a wide range of individuals at various levels of risk. It may be defined on the basis of certain demographic factors (for example poverty, single parents, etc), skill level (for example education or employment skills), or a combination of both types of factors.

Generally we include within the high risk group, young people who are, or easily could be, involved in:
  • Offences that are illegal because of the perpetrators young age, such as consumption of alcohol, smoking tobacco, truancy or running away from home.
  • Street gang affiliation or activities
  • Crimes including smoking marijuana, assault, theft and other forms of aggravated behaviour
  • Are under Court supervision, in custody, or otherwise involved in the judicial system.




Characteristics of a high risk home environment

No single environment characterises all high risk young people. However, formal studies and anecdotal observations strongly suggest that a high risk young person probably lives in an environment with many of the following characteristics:

1. Middle class and rich kids behave badly too but high risk young people are more likely to be from poorer families. Poverty is a      pervasive presence.

2. Transitory family unit or physical environment. The term 'stay' is commonly used rather than 'live' suggesting a series of short       term arrangements.

3. Being a young mum is not necessarily a risk factor but many at risk young people have mothers who are young and/or           
     unmarried.

4. An experience of abuse is common. The experience may be as an observer or a victim and it may be emotional or physical, or      both.

5. Drugs are a way of life. Generally considered to be a symptom rather than a cause, drugs are often a coping strategy learned        from family members or other influential adults.

6. Poor school attendance, poor grades and truancy are common issues. Poor performance at school often leads to         
     embarrassment and truancy, which often ends in the young person dropping out of school.

7. Peer groups with equally bad or worse behaviour. Young people, like all humans, look for others with whom they have a           
​     common experience in order to feel a sense of belonging. Peer groups are, like drugs, usually symptomatic rather than causal.


Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly