The Lighthouse Project aims to enhance community safety through the facilitation of a holistic, interagency approach which will oversee an early intervention and prevention program targeting young people at risk (including young people at risk of entering the justice system, on community work orders, disengaging from education and/or training, family breakdown and dislocation, homelessness and co-morbidity).

The program seeks to address the gap in the provision of programs for young people to access developmental and recreational activities with vocational outcomes, as well as participate in mentoring with role models through community based activities which are linked to learning.

The desired outcome of providing 'at risk' young people and young offenders with the opportunity to participate in positive developmental activities and recreation, is that it will provide them with a sense of community belonging, foster new skills and promote personal development.  In turn, the aim being to improve community safety by young people being diverted or preventing them from entering the criminal justice system.

The Lighthouse Project has been initiated by the Devonport Community Safety Liaison Group (CSLG) and the Police & Community Youth Club (PCYC) which are both facilitated by the Devonport City Council.  Council's Youth Services department and the PCYC have been instrumental in identifying the need for a program of this nature due to their direct links to the major stakeholders being young people, particularly youth at risk utilising Council's youth services (The Zone Youth Information & Access Centre) for the past nine years and participating in PCYC activities since 2000.  These services, working in consultation and collaboration with other services, schools, community groups and stakeholders, have enabled the educated identification of needs, trends and emerging issues relating to young people at risk and adequate service provision.

Devonport City Council has been successful in obtaining a National Community Crime Prevention Program (NCCPP) grant for the Lighthouse Project.  Funding for the project will occur over three years. 

For more information about the Lighthouse Project please contact Lighthouse Project Officer Charmane Sheehan on (03) 6423 4099.