A critical analysis of youth programming supports that are offered to at-risk youth within Canada and Australia

Youth, who are identified as being at-risk, have often experienced at least one negative event within their lifetime, with most experiencing more than one; these risk factors often elevate a youth’s risk at becoming victimized, or becoming involved with the criminal justice system. The at-risk youth population requires well-rounded programming in order to mitigate these potential outcomes. The purpose of this research paper is to critically examine various programs from similar countries, specifically from Canada, and Australia, and then identify the positive factors within each program. Then, utilizing the identified factors, a grading scale/criterion will be created in order to rank the programs with a numeric value. Further, by using the scaled programs, an analysis of Alberta will be conducted to determine if similar programs exist within the province.