This article describes several initiatives in which Creative Problem Solving, in combination with career exploration and mentoring, has been used successfully to identify and develop the talents of “at-risk” populations. During the past decade, the Lost Prizes project helped turn around the lives of talented but troubled high-school dropouts, Northern Lights encouraged productivity in disenfranchised Aboriginal teens, and Second Chance reduced recidivism among Native Canadian inmates. Currently, various mentoring programs are providing support to vulnerable inner-city young people at risk for alienation, school failure, and gang involvement.
This study compared the recidivism rate of two groups of Native Canadian inmates. The experimental group of offenders received intensive pre‐release support, including counseling, training in Creative Problem Solving, career awareness sessions (including résumé writing, interviewing, and impression management), and on‐the‐job experience. Inmates in the control group received no such support; at sentences' end, they were simply released into society to fend for themselves. The results indicated that recidivism can be reduced by a meaningful support program. Individuals in the experimental group were much less likely to re‐offend than those in the untreated control group.
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