The government is bringing back “military-style academies” – colloquially known as boot camps – to help young serious offenders turn their lives around. Police Minister Mark Mitchell has pointed to the success of the Limited Service Volunteer (LSV) programme run by the NZ Defence Force and Ministry of Social Development.
But LSV, which has been running for 30 years, is very different: it is not for serious young offenders and is definitely not a boot camp. Courses run for six weeks, not the 12 months signalled with the academies for young offenders. MSD encourages young New Zealanders at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to enter the LSV programme. They don’t lose their benefit if they decline.
I’ve been involved since becoming a patron of an intake at Burnham in April 2011. If ever you want to see programmed transformation working, you need to be at one of the three Youth Development Unit centres – Burnham, Trentham or Whenuapai – for an LSV graduation. Here, you’ll see 70-100 young women and men marching in line, in step, heads up, eyes proudly looking forward. If you’re lucky enough to speak to one or two, you will be impressed by their presentation, manners and pride.
A mere six weeks earlier, they were a raggedy bunch of 18- to 24-year-olds arriving for what is a job-ready programme. Some, but not all, face barriers: obesity, substance abuse, lack of opportunity. Many have challenging home environments.
But one just has to mention the Defence Force being involved for it to suddenly become a “boot camp”. Crazy.
On graduating, a number of the trainees seek to join the armed forces. For many, for the first time, they have had boundaries to adhere to, within which they may grow. They have seen themselves flourish, become confident and achieve. They have come to see themselves as leaders.
The purposes of the programme are to develop within each trainee the knowledge, skills, attitudes and resilience to become a valued employee, to learn constructive ways to deal with conflict and to foster behaviours that will increase their opportunities for employment.
Certainly there are a lot of challenges: following instructions, teaming up with others you’ve never met before, respecting them and respecting yourself, climbing high ropes, undertaking physically demanding tasks, getting out of bed at 6.30am, tidying your space. Many trainees identify as highlights of the programme having to make their own bed, keep their cupboards tidy, iron their clothes, clean their shoes and having three nutritious meals a day.
I would like to see the programme extended to eight weeks or longer. This would give more time for trainees to participate in and be taught a greater range of skills. They would have the chance to further embed the programme’s positive values into their daily lives. I would like to see literacy and numeracy addressed. If the programme was extended to 10 weeks, one of the significant practical barriers to employment – gaining a driver’s licence – could be tackled.
The job expo scheduled for week four of the programme is a time when employers arrive to hand out brochures and talk about their company and the skills they require of trainees. On graduating, close to 80% get a job or go on to further education. More than 70% are still in work 28 days later.
One hears bosses complaining, “Young people these days, where’s their stickability?” If you or your company are looking for employees who show resilience, motivation, initiative, perseverance and respect for self, and others, seek out an LSV graduate.
Christine Fernyhough is an author and philanthropist who co-founded Books in Homes in 1994.
