The Youth Restorative Action Project (YRAP) is a Youth Justice Committee founded and run by Edmonton youth. YRAP is mandated to work with young people who have caused harm while being affected by a variety of significant social issues such as intolerance, racism, substance abuse, homelessness, family violence and prostitution. YRAP offers those who have caused harm an opportunity to take responsibility for their actions and to grow positively, and offers victims a meaningful role in the process. YRAP is the only justice committee worldwide with this unique mandate that is run entirely by youth members (aged 15-24). YRAP was officially sanctioned as a justice committee in 2003 and has dealt with over 300 cases of all levels of severity.
YRAP performs many legal functions including sentencing and extrajudicial sanctions, judicial interim releases, treatment plans, the supervision of community service and probation orders and mediation. It also has an active role in the community, supporting other youth initiatives, promoting education and engagement of youth as well as creating awareness and public discussion surrounding youth-related issues. YRAP collaborates with a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations.
For more about how and why YRAP got started, see the Background section.
For more about YRAP’s principles and goals, see the Objectives section.
For more about what YRAP does specifically, see the Activities section.