Our Youth Programs Officer (YPO) is responsible for planning and coordinating community youth programs (12-24 years) as well as acting as the Youth Criminal Justice Act coordinator.

Roles and responsibilities of our Youth Officer

  • Act as a resource on specific issues related to youth.
  • Conduct proactive police initiatives involving youth in our community.
  • Provide support and assistance and youth leadership within a team environment.
  • Liaise with other police agencies and non-police agencies as required in developing informational and educational material and programs for youth.

 

Constable Jackson

 Youth Programs Officer 

 Constable Ashley Jackson
613-549-4660 x 6327

Instagram - kpyouthcop
Twitter- @kpyouthcop



 

Services and programs facilitated by our Youth Programs Officer

Youth Diversion
Youth Diversion is a charitable organization, which, has offered programs and services for youth in the Kingston area. Youth can be referred to Youth Diversion by way of a referral from Police and/or Crown Attorney.

Youth Diversions purpose is to help youth to overcome challenges by: providing individualized services and programs to divert youth from risk; providing both intervention and prevention services; and, working collaboratively and in partnership with youth, their families, other agencies and our community. 

Extrajudicial Measures (EJM) and Extrajudicial Sanctions (EJS)
EJM occurs when a youth is referred by the police prior to charge being laid. EJS occurs when a youth is referred by the Crown Attorney after a charge has been laid. EJM and EJS (funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services) can be used to support/assist youth who are aged 12-17 at the time an offence was committed and who were charged with a low risk offence within the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington county areas. These programs allow a youth to take accountability for an offence that they have committed while also providing education and support for the youth and their family to prevent further conflict with the law.

A youth’s voluntary participation and engagement in an EJM/EJS program means that they may be able to avoid criminal charges/criminal record.

Youth Justice Committee Program
This volunteer facilitated program (funded by the Ministry of the Attorney General), seeks to allow victims/persons harmed and the youth offender to come together in an effort to repair the harm and hold youth accountable for their actions.
Youth In Policing Initiative (YIPI)

The YIPI initiative offers employment with Kingston Police for youth 15-18 years of age who are attending school in the Kingston area. The program provides a positive paid work experience, on the job training, and mentorship opportunities.

Police Athletic League (PAL)
PAL is hosted at the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston, 1300 Bath Road. The league provides free sports to youth ages 13-17, every Thursday night from 6-8 p.m. at the West End Hub. A Provincial grant made this league possible, providing funding for Boys & Girls Club staff, giveaways for participants and free transportation from various points in the city.

The league runs from October to June. The league offers a different sport each Thursday from October to December. Each of these nights will focus on fundamentals, rules and non-competitive games. Following the school holiday break, the league will resume with two dedicated competitive leagues, each of a sport deemed to be most wanted by the participating youth. A third league, still featuring a variety of sports, will consist of fun and non-competitive games.

Direct transportation is provided in the north end of Kingston at KCHC and other locations, as well as at Holy Cross, Bayridge and Frontenac in the west end.

Youth do not have to be a member of the Boys and Girls Club to participate. Youth who are not members, or are currently not involved in organized sports, are especially encouraged to join.

Members of the Kingston Police will be present each night to participate with youth in a fun and interactive forum. The league has been developed to build personal relationships between youth and officers and build strong community bonds between Kingston Police and its community.

TEDx Talks

Constable Josh Conner served as the Kingston Police Youth Officer from 2015-2017, and in February 2018 he was one of the few chosen to speak at the TEDxQueensU event. Officer Conner spoke about his time working with youth while serving 3 years as the Kingston Police Youth Officer. He also discussed the perception of police and the different roles they police play within the community.

His talk, “My community needed a youth officer, not a TV cop” is available on YouTube.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today's leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED's annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available, free, on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Monica Lewinsky, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

TED's open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from thousands of volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; the annual million-dollar TED Prize, which funds exceptional individuals with a "wish," or idea, to create change in the world; TEDx, which provides licenses to thousands of individuals and groups who host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.