Attorney General Mark Speakman and Member for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper have announced the NSW Government will provide $185,000 to fund an 18-month program to support at-risk youth in Lake Macquarie.
It's hoped to prevent young people from getting involved in criminal activities and capping rates of recidivism.
The funding comes after the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found a significant rise in disorderly behaviour and theft in the Cardiff region, where the program will be based.
Mr Piper says the Community Activities Lake Macquarie (CALM) program will benefit from the money.
"The focus is on early intervention for at-risk youth to keep them off the streets and help them before major issues arise", added Mr Piper.
The program will help educate youth in many creative areas to distract them from going down an unhealthy path.
"The initiative aims to find creative ways to engage teenagers to keep them out of trouble including music workshops, mentoring programs and street art lessons," said Mr Piper.
The funding will not only be used to support supervised recreational and mentoring programs but to also help the at-risk youth gain their driver's license and install "lighting and CCTV in crime hot spots", Mr Speakman said.
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| Image: CALM |
