About Youth Compass
We have developed an approach that addresses the urgent need for appropriate crime reduction intervention programmes for young people.
Youth Compass is the first ever evidence-based programme designed to help young people positively develop morality in line with rule compliance, building on emotional aptitudes.
It is also among the first interventions to explicitly focus on increasing law-relevant morality as a way of encouraging pro-social thinking and behaviour.
We carried out a unique review to explore the optimal conditions under which interventions like this are more likely to be effective, producing the desired outcomes for young people (Trivedi-Bateman and Crook, 2022).
We believe it's essential that interventions are theory-led and evidence-based to avoid simply "hoping for the best" while ensuring the principles and techniques used have been successfully tested.
About the programme
The programme can run for up to 12 weeks, and is suitable for young people, aged 11-17 years. The pilot study was delivered by the project team as an after-school activity, but is also suitable for use by school staff, youth workers, youth offending teams, and other youth organisations.
Combining facilitator-led discussions with practical interactive exercises – spanning creative tasks, role play, music, video, scenario discussions, moral dilemmas and debates, and mindfulness – it guides participants through a range of topics, including:
- Empathy
Understanding and responding to others’ emotional states - Moral rules
Exploring why behaviour is viewed as right or wrong, and the role of rules, laws and regulations - Moral emotions
Exploring the shame and guilt that can impact decision-making for anti-social behaviour and crime - Emotion management and regulation
Developing constructive responses to difficult situations, including mindfulness - Peer resistance
Developing strategies to build resilience to resist negative peer pressure and avoid rule-breaking