Legal Education and Awareness Project (LEAP)

In June 2007 the Commission was successful in obtaining funding through the state Attorney-General's Crime Prevention and Community Safety Grants program for a grant to fund an early intervention program aimed at reducing anti-social and low level criminal behaviour among metropolitan based African youth.

SAPOL, African leaders and settlement service providers have expressed considerable concern about rising levels of anti-social behaviour and low level crime among metropolitan based African youth and have called for legal training to address these issues. The 12 month program will involve legal training sessions for African youth and separate ‘train the trainer’ legal training sessions for community workers, youth workers and counsellors who work with African youth. A resource kit, for use by educators, service providers and policy makers will also be produced. The program will model its training sessions and community engagement approaches on the successful Family Law & CALD Communities Project which provides legal education about the Australian legal system and family law to CALD communities.

The program will partner service providers with well established links to African youth (e.g. Lutheran Community Care, Multicultural Youth Service of SA, African Communities Council, Central Community Legal Service). Our project is supported by the Settlement Services Manager of Lutheran Community Care (a major service provider for African youth based in the Prospect, Kilburn and Blair Athol region), the Secretary of the African Communities Council of South Australia, Blue Light (SAPOL), Adelaide Secondary School of English and Australian Refugee Association/ Youth Working Party of the African Workers' Network.