Monrovia – Network Empowerment and Progressive Initiatives (NEPI) and the University of Chicago in collaboration with implementing partner, Innovation for Poverty Action (IPA), have guaranteed its continuous commitment in tackling the use of illegal substances amongst at-risk youths following the conclusion of its 10-year Sustainable Transformation for Youth in Liberia (STYL) project.
The STYL project which was developed by a local organisation, NEPI through its Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), successfully reduced criminal, violent and other antisocial behaviours over the 10-year period amongst its participants.
By Jaheim T. Tumu, contributing writer
Accordingly, over the period of the project, 999 participants were divided into four groups distribution models, as 28 per cent of the participants received therapeutic training only, 28 per cent got therapeutic training and cash, 25 per cent received cash only while 22 per cent comparison.
NEPI, IPA and other partners have explained that the STYL program established is one of the most cognitive effective programs which have reduced thefts and robberies amongst men in the highest risk communities as well as reducing the selling of drugs.
Introducing the STYL program, Mr. Klubosumo Johnson Borh, said the policy workshop was intended to share results that they had achieved to government officials who are in the space of public policy and international organisations in supporting some of the issues that those organisations have addressed amongst the substance users.
Said Borh, “Today was more of giving information regarding the results that we have had over the years and the implications of those results in term of how we can replicate them in the communities and partner organisations that we want source in that process as well. And understand where we can actually co-create either with government or international organisations and community base organisations as well.”
According to Borh, following the completion of the initial project, they have embarked on feasible model which in term to replicate the program in preparation towards skill process for highest risk youth in the next three-year.
“They are high risk youth in a sense that normally we called them zogos; those are the targets we will be looking for. Those are the people we have been working with. So this shows that our programs work really well and reintegrate in the normal society,” he said.
Adding, “We have actually been able to work with 1000 and the randomized controlled trial shows that that program was very effective.”
“It shows 50 per cent reduction in crime and violence. So we are thinking about running this program over in term of our replication process with 2500 of them over the period of three years and that will situate us in planning for the next five years’ plan for 2025 going forward.”
Making the brief remarks, the head of IPA, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Walker Higgins said to implement effectively prevent crimes amongst at-risk youth a particular area or goal should be understood as targeted area.
He further said, donors used the STYL to sustainably run into the future while expanding a real targeted program with a small number of participants in the range of 500 hundred a year to achieve the imminently durable task.
“We hope other organizations can incorporate (STYL) into their youth environment initiative. We hope that policymakers can make this approach a central pillar of their crime prevention strategy,” he said.
Also in brief remarks, the Assistant Minister for Youth Development at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Emmanuel M. Johnson, said that the Ministry has embarked on a similar project which intends to engage at-risk youths.
According to him, the government’s initiative will seek to partner with stakeholders, and organizations to rehabilitate, empower and reintegrate at-risk youths into the communities as healthy and productive citizens.