Discovering resilience.
ExCel Discovery
Young Offender Program. Youth must be between the ages of 13-17. Referrals must follow these steps:
- Youth are first sentenced by a judge to serving an Open Custody Sentence, and are referred to the program from one of two Young Offender’s Centres in Alberta,
- Youth are interviewed by ExCel Discovery to assess their suitability for the program, current stage of change and level of insight, and have accepted responsibility regarding their charges,
- If youth is a fit, they are transferred to one of the group home’s six (6) beds at ExCel Discovery
Funded by: Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services
Accessed by: Calgary and Edmonton Young Offender Centres
Enviros ExCel Discovery is an Open Custody Young Offender program in the province of Alberta and has six (6) spaces for youth who have an open custody sentence. The program is designed to meet the needs of adolescent young offenders who have been sentenced to complete a portion of their custodial time in the community. ExCel Discovery is the only Open Custody program for female young offenders in the province of Alberta. ExCel Discovery offers an integrated treatment setting with enhanced programming in the areas of addictions, education, mental health and reintegration. The overall goal of the program is to support young offenders in successfully transitioning from being in secure custody, to life in the community.
Potential ExCel Discovery youth are first sentenced to serving an Open Custody Sentence, and then referred to the program from one of two Young Offender’s Centres in Alberta. The youth are then interviewed by ExCel Discovery staff to assess their suitability for the program, current stage of change and level of insight, and accepted responsibility regarding their charges. If the youth are a fit, they are transferred to one of the group home’s sic (6) Open Custody beds to begin their reintegration into the community.
ExCel Discovery youth attend school on-site every day as part of re-establishing a routine, take part in counselling sessions specific to their needs, and have personalized, client centered case plans to support them in achieving their short and long term goals.
The ExCel Discovery Staff team
also aims to provide a physically and emotionally safe environment that fosters
positive growth. This specialized reintegration program enables youth to
effectively transition back into the community. The intention is to offer
support by giving youth the opportunity to develop resilience , develop life
skills, and an overall awareness and connection to community supports and
resources.
Staff are in the program 24 hours a day to assist in guidance with any concerns, work with the youth to re-establish healthy adult and peer relationships, and to build trust.