Cross Roads to Success

Cross Roads to Success is our multi-week Program for teen girls who are on probation in the Greater Saint John community.  This Program is generally done in partnership with UNBSJ, as they provide us a co-facilitator who is completing her degree in a related field (psychology, criminology, sociology, education, etc.).  This past session, we had Robyn Jones, a UNBSJ Bachelor of Education student co-facilitate the program.  Robyn has been a volunteer with E. Fry for a little while now, and has assisted in other Programming, but this was her first time working with youth in this capacity.

We began the Program with 6 participants, and on October 7th, we completed it with 6 participants!  It was GREAT!!  Both Robyn and I were ecstatic that we had finished with all the girls we began with.  We are extremely proud of the participants!

About the Program
This is a multi-week Program for female youth in Saint John who are currently in conflict with the law. Each participant is referred to the Society by Youth Probation Services (Department of Public Safety, Government of New Brunswick). The Society, with referrals from Youth Probation Services, has facilitated three sessions of this Program.

Currently, it is the only program in the city that is facilitated by females for females only. All other programming in the city is currently co-ed.

Some of the topics covered in the Program are:


- Youth justice (the consequences of a youth criminal record, the criminal justice system, being on probation, being incarcerated as a youth, reactions to law enforcement and other authority figures).

- Communication styles (assertive, aggressive, passive aggressive; how to communicate properly/successfully).

- Anger & Stress Management (proper techniques for management of anger & stress as well as other emotions, consequences of anger & stress, depression/suicide, etc).

- Problem Solving (assessing situations, dealing with peer pressures, good decision making).

- Women in Society (women’s current and past roles in society, developments in women’s rights, social justices for women, etc).

- Self Esteem (self-worth, self-esteem, empowerment, image manipulation, media, body facts and fiction).

- Relationships (proper & improper relationships, friendships, romantic relationships, relationships with family).
The Program is extremely adaptable, and is often edited to include more materials as needed by the participants. Surveys are taken with each participant in order to figure out the needs and desires of the groups to determine what should be included.

Synopsis of Program
Once per week the session is facilitated by two coordinators (one volunteer, one paid staff). Each participant is given a participant journal which includes all activities and many hand outs.

Each section of the participant’s journal focuses on a different topic, which is predetermined by the facilitators. Each week begins with a discussion about the previous week, a question and answer period, and then the new topics/discussions begin. The sessions are two hours in length, with a short break for supper/snack. The Program consists of group and individual activities, group discussions, individual assignments (to be completed during the two hours), as well as open discussions about the topics and how they relate to the participants current or past situations.

The Program is conducted on Wednesday afternoons from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Facilitators meet at 3:00 p.m. to go over the topics, discuss any issues or concerns, and prepare for the session.

Guest speakers have been included in the session, if deemed necessary by the facilitators.

Local agencies are solicited approximately two months in advance of the Program to gather pamphlets and information on the resources available to female youth. This information is distributed to the participants.

Program Evaluation
The Program is evaluated weekly by the facilitators and the participants. Each participant is given an evaluation form at the conclusion of each session. She can, anonymously, evaluate the Program, the content of the session, the facilitators and offer her comments or suggestions. She can also use this time to make suggestions about topics she would like to see in the Program. The facilitators do their best to accommodate all requests.

Goals of Program
- Assist female youth in obtaining the information needed to assist them in completing their education (high school or GED).
- Provide support and mentorship to female youth in the Greater Saint John community.
- The Program’s most important aim is crime prevention. It is the hope of the Society that with the proper knowledge and support, the participants will not become engaged in illegal activity anymore.

Targeted Group
The age of the participants varies. The Program is adaptable to all ages, learning capacities, and needs. The Program has been facilitated for female youth ranging in age from fourteen to sixteen.

Number of attendees expected
The Department of Public Safety, Youth Probation Services, refers ten (10) female participants to the Society. The Society then schedules intake assessments with each potential participant. Thus far, each Program has consisted of approximately six to eight participants.