Pushing limits is quite honestly a healthy part of youth development. How we respond to young people when they act out can dramatically alter the course of their lives for the better or much, much worse.  At SPYS, we’re creating a community-wide culture in which young people feel not just welcome, but wanted everywhere they go. We are showing youth that they matter. In this episode of Rewriting the Rules, host Dr. Tracine Asberry, Executive Director of Saint Paul Youth Services (SPYS), speaks with two youth at SPYS for our first ever Pre-Charge Diversion Symposium. 

We hope that this conversation can offer fertile ground to continue to think about how we can transform cultures and practices towards a new vision of society. 

About Pre-Charge Diversion:  

SPYS’ Pre-Charge Diversion program offers an alternative to juvenile court for a range of first-time offenses such as shoplifting, property damage, disorderly conduct, and curfew violations and gives youth a chance to learn from their mistakes. 

We provide a restorative justice approach that holds young people accountable for their actions while working with them to develop skills to make better decisions, avoiding the detrimental impacts incarceration has on their lives and on our community – in terms of education, employment, homelessness, and other measures of well-being. 

About Jamesha:  

Jamesha is a sophomore, and she’s a Varsity Cheerleading Captain and her high school and hopes to pursue a scholarship for college.  

About Orien:  

Orien is in 9th grade and hopes to be on TV in the future.  

*The music you hear on the podcast is provided by Blue Dot Sessions and is used here under a Creative Commons License.