It's expected a new program that will educate Sarnia-Lambton youth about the trauma associated with sexual offences, will be ready to start in September.
Project 1 in 3, named after the number of women and girls who will experience sexual violence, is a pre-charge diversion program that will focus on youth aged 12 to 17 who have been accused of lower threshold sexual offences.
Sarnia-Lambton Rebound, the Sexual Assault Survivors Centre, and Lambton Police Services Board developed the program thanks to a provincial grant of $200,000 over two years.
Rebound Executive Director Carrie McEachran said community partners have identified a gap in services for youth victims and offenders.
"[The program aims] to hold them to a level of accountability when charges are not laid. The hope is that the program will educate them about the consequences of their actions, give them those skills and resources to make better choices, and really we're hoping to prevent further offences."
McEachran said up until this point, the lower threshold pre-charge referrals have been streaming into one of Rebound's existing diversion programs.
"So the youth are still learning decision-making skills, healthy relationships, communication, and often working individually with one of our staff," she said. "And those referrals, they entail actions such as sending or forwarding intimate images to each other, harassment, inappropriate language towards another youth, the lower threshold inappropriate grabbing, sexting, those types of offences."
McEachran said the program will also assist in helping victims of sexual offences heal.
"Rebound and Sexual Assault Survivors Centre working together will be able to support the victims, giving them an opportunity to have that support -- if they so choose -- empower them, give them that space to feel heard while they work through the trauma and support them in their healing."
McEachran said Rebound receives dozens of referrals every year for lower threshold sexual offences and they're excited to actually have the means now to create a program specifically for these youth.