The Nipawin Community Justice Committee is looking for more youth representatives, specifically from L.P. Miller Comprehensive School. (Facebook/LP Miller Comprehensive School)

By Aaron Schulze

Youth in the Community

Nipawin Community Justice Committee looking for more youth members

Apr 10, 2019 | 2:58 PM

The Nipawin Community Justice Committee, which facilitates mediation services for alternative justice cases that are deemed unnecessary to be put in front of a judge, is looking to get more youth members to join.

Robert Olson, former chairperson of the Nipawin Community Justice Committee, told northeastNOW they have a student from L.P. Miller on board, although they’re looking for more youth to balance out the grey hair in the room.

“We wouldn’t mind having two or three more members, maybe some younger people or business-type people,” Olson said. “I think we’re looking at 17 years old or above – Grades 11 or 12 in high school – to have that maturity. We’re at around 10 members. We have a membership from the town council and our mediators are also members.”

Olson mentioned potential high school members would have some limits such as not being invited to any of the mediations, as all the senior members get a security check with the RCMP and a vulnerable persons check.

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During the mediation, there will be an agreement made between the perpetrators and the victims of the crimes.

“The file wouldn’t be settled until that agreement is finished, Olson said. “If there’s a restitution order, community service, or apology letters, the files will not be finished until those are completed. That just goes to our mediators; we as a committee would not see that stuff at all.

“Once they finish their commitments, all of the charges are dropped. They will not have to appear in court anymore and they would not have any record of ever having been in trouble.”

Olson said the committee receives files of perpetrators from people as young as 12-years-old, or people in their 70s, and say it would be of benefit to widen their demographic.

The Nipawin Community Justice Committee meets 10 times a year – once every second Tuesday from September to June – with meetings lasting around nearly 30 minutes.

Olson said the committee typically works behind the scenes and they would like to be known a little bit better, but they’re a small picture group that deals with one file at a time.

Anyone wanting to join the Nipawin Community Justice Committee can contact Councillor Geoff Stewart, the Town of Nipawin’s representative, for more information.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow