Youths of today don’t fall into line with people’s ideas of conformity and may therefore get ostracized by their own community, for being a teenager. Can you imagine a new ticket program for them?

Canada has the famous RCMP, Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Officers that wear the bright red, dress uniforms, yes those very ones like Constable Benton Fraser on the popular ‘Due South’ television series. They are a federally regulated law enforcement agency.

A redress of policies to improve community relations had revealed the question of how best to include and approach youths that considers law enforcement as their foe. Youths word-of-mouth and access to modern communication systems, would relay, share and report horror stories of police brutalities against criminals which extended and included handling of youths. Word spreads like a wild fire.

Youths that have gone through the legal system and detention facilities will have tales to regale their friends of the correctional staff ‘inside’ plus first-hand experiences of the arresting police officers themselves. Names will be revealed and spread throughout the grapevine of specific officers, treatment and who to avoid and just by association, include all law officers.

One method that the RCMP have started practicing is to approach and engage directly with youths and hand out “Positive Tickets”. These are tickets given out for good behaviors and offer recreational rewards such as pizza, movies, slush drinks.

Community businesses have joined up with the RCMP and their “Positive Ticket” program and offer other services and products like bowling, swimming and skating. Each community has different options available but all with the goal to reward their youths that obey laws, such as wearing protective gear while skateboarding.

One town in British Columbia has seen a 41% decline in youth crime after one year of running their program. The morale of the officers is high since they get to ‘catch’ and ‘reward’ a youth for doing something good for themself and their community. Business owners offer their certificates as a indirect method of saying, ‘ We care.’

The decline in youth crime says a lot in itself for the youths. A fantastic program that should be practiced by everybody. Displays of genuine care and community can build bridges across perceived chasms and leave one with a sense of belonging of which the RCMP and the 'Postive Tickets' program achieves. Read related --> here and there.

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