Ministry of Justice supports crime prevention projects

The Ministry of Justice supports 11 crime prevention projects with 950,243 kroons. The total number of applications submitted to the crime prevention project competition held for the second year in a row was 80.

Eligible projects included those aimed at changing the behaviour of problematic young people, crime prevention in the community with the initiative coming from the citizens themselves or re-socialisation of former convicts.

Support was allocated in two categories: the maximum support amount for small-scale projects was 100,000 kroons and for large-scale projects 300,000 kroons.

Non-profit associations, foundations, sole proprietors and local authorities could apply for support.

This year, preference was given to projects aimed at the young people of the risk group.

This time the following projects were awarded the most support:

• Estonian Children’s Fund Foundation project Conscious Parents are Support for their Child and the School (249,207 kroons). In the framework of the project support groups for parents of children with activity and attention disorders are formed in eight Estonian towns and cities, individual counselling is conducted and information days are organised throughout Estonia for increasing awareness of the problem.
• Non-profit association Öökull (Owl) project Camp Kuperjanov (168,912 kroons). A 10-day military training camp is organised for the under-18-year old offenders of six Southern Estonian counties.
• Tallinn Open Youth Centre/Lasnamäe Open Youth Centre project Photo Race (Fotokross) (157,442 kroons). A beginner's course in photography is organised for young people of the Lasnamäe district aged 13-18 years over a period of three and a half months. The project will conclude with a 7-day photography camp in the summer of 2006.
• Non-profit association Tallinn Children Support Centre project Developing Activities for Crime Prevention (100,000 kroons). Young people aged 7-18 years who have been directed by the Juvenile Committees of the Tallinn City Districts are offered hobby group activities in a day centre: the LORD group, the sports group, the LARP group. The groups meet from August to May 2005. Furthermore, support person training is conducted in three stages.
• Non-profit association Siksal Development Society project Our Future Too (53,700 kroons). A three-day camp for orphans (Tilsi, Viiratsi, Pärnu, non-profit association Vahtramägi Mäe-Kodu) containing crime prevention lectures and sports events is organised.
• Non-profit association Narva Youth to Youth project We Are Robinsons 2005 (46,460 kroons) during which training is organised for the young people of Ida-Viru County (incl. those living in an orphanage or a shelter and young people of a youth work organisation) for developing their social coping skills. In addition to training Robinsons are elected in a 7-day adventure education camp.
• Türi Society for Child Welfare project Student Work Camp of Southern Järva County 2005 (25,947 kroons). 10-day student work camps for young people of Southern Järva County aged 13-18 years (incl. those with risky behaviour and juvenile delinquents). The students in the camp work and undergo a training and education programme.
• Non-profit association Kose Art Centre project Performance Group (11,200 kroons). Problematic youth of the Kose rural municipality aged 7-16 years will receive the opportunity to participate in art classes (pottery, glass melting, ceramic mosaic, shibori, coal drawings, collage) of the art school free of charge.
• Iisaku Art School project Provision of Hobby Education for the Students of the Student Home of the Iisaku Upper Secondary School (7,375 kroons) in the framework of which the students of the Student Home of the Iisaku Upper Secondary School are provided with hobby education through art classes.
• Non-profit association Võru County Social Work Centre project Secure Võru County (92,000 kroons) in the framework of which self-establishment and crime prevention skills workshops for young people of Võru County aged 7-17 and their parents, support groups for families with children at risk, counselling young people who are on criminal probation, training for parents of juvenile delinquents for the purpose of promoting their problem-solving skills are organised.
• Non-profit association Caritas Estonia project Freedom of Choice (38,000 kroons). The young people of the Forum Group of the VAT Theatre and the theatre group of the Creative School of the non-profit organisation Caritas will stage a forum theatre play about human relationships and violence, involving hobby school instructors, social workers, youth workers and the directors of the theatre groups of youth centres and hobby schools in the work process. The play will be shown to the students of six basic schools in Tallinn.

The main reasons for which other projects were left without support lied either in calculation mistakes regarding the co-financing or self-financing or in a lack of co-financing or self-financing (jointly or separately, they had to amount to 30%) and vaguely defined target groups. Also, support was applied for purchasing equipment and renovation, but the terms and conditions of the project competition do not allow for allocating it (no support is allocated for covering the principal activity costs of the local government, investment or acquisition of fixed assets). The projects, which would have included remuneration of the everyday work of local government officials, were not supported either.

Tiina Urm
Public Relations Division
Ministry of Justice
phone  6 208 116
GSM 51 82 368