Graduates of the Banksia Hill Detention Centre have shown off their skills as part of the Youth in Emergency Services (YES) Program.
Staff of the Centre and volunteers from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services acted as casualties in a scenario designed to test the abilities of the young inmates.
The interactive tests ranged from a car accident to a plane crash and required the detainees to use teamwork as they demonstrated their learnings from the six weeks of training.
Acting Commissioner of Corrective Services, Mike Reynolds said often young people in custody had disconnected from formal education and training.
“The YES Program offers them a hands-on opportunity to be successful outside the classroom, which could be the encouragement a young person needs to re-engage with textbook and other forms of learning,” Acting Commissioner Reynolds said.
“Including these graduates, 44 young people have successfully completed the program while at Banksia Hill since its inception in April 2019,” he said.
Acting Coordinator of Youth Custodial Re-entry Programs and Services, Ben Gath said one of the graduates in particular had undergone a positive change in attitude and had enjoyed the training.
“It’s particularly rewarding to see young people grow through embracing the challenge of courses such as the YES Program,” Mr Gath said.
