Contributors

	Arts Projects Coordinator: Abdul Jabar Abdul is responsible for bringing together the various projects that the team are working on and making sure they are sustainable.	An Apology: To all our young people Currently we can't identify you by name. However we feel your good work deserves to be recognised and our policy is under review. Contact us to let us know your views on this subject. For now, young people are identified either by initials or a pen name. A sample series of "pen pictures" is included on this page to give you a flavour of some of the young people involved. Helen is not her real name.......... Helen has had a very disturbing childhood, having suffered abuse and neglect, she missed at least 2 years of school and was eventually estranged from her parents. She lived on her wits, with no home she could call her own. She was regularly in trouble with the law and on her own admission was a nightmare to deal with. Her behaviour was such that most professionals had written her off, believing her to be a lost cause. But Helen is a remarkable young lady and over a period of 11 months working with the Youth Offending Team she has worked very hard to rehabilitate herself. She has much to be proud of, not least her writing skills...... Now if we could only get her to stop swearing! George is not his real name.......... George is a quiet lad, with many problems at home. George goes to a special school during the week, only going home on weekends. Despite his many problems, he is a likeable young man, polite and attentive. Most of the time. George has a great deal of trouble controlling his temper and can be violent. George is now aware of this and making every effort to "control himself" Tom is not his real name........ Tom is a clever and energetic boy. That's Tom's problem! Sometimes he doesn't know what to with himself and that leads him into mischief. Sometimes that mischief crosses the line and becomes criminal behaviour. Tom knows the difference between right and wrong and what can happen when you listen to "mates". Read his poem, you'd think he worked for the Youth Offending Team! Chris is not his real name.......... Chris is a young man now, he is now too old for the YOT. He's had his troubles, crime, drug addiction and a spell in a YOI, but he's a real success story. No more trouble with the police, he's kicked the habit and he's sorting out a new life for himself.
	Restorative Justice Coordinator: Christine McMahon Christine manages Referral Orders. She's a drama teacher and an accomplished storyteller. She is responsible for many of the Small Voices ideas.
	YOT Police Officer / Small Voices Creator: Richard Hemingway Richard deals with Final Warnings and has a special interest in literacy programmes. He is responsible for the creation and maintenance of Small Voices.
	YOT Officer: Andrew Jowett Andrew works with young people on various orders. He has a special interest in digital stories and filmmaking.
	Events Officer: Kerry Taylor Kerry organises events within the YOT such as the launch of "Pieces from the Piece Hall" and "Shepherd's Pie Smells Different Now ".
	Calderdale Youth Offending Team: Without the commitment and dedication of all members of the team, at all levels, Small Voices would not have been possible.
ARTISTS
	Visual Artist: Maureen Walker Maureen is a painter and owner of the Het Praatjes Huis Gallery in the Piece Hall, Halifax. She has years of experience working with young people and the arts.
	Writer: Craig Bradley Craig is a published author, Writer in Residence at the Calderdale Public Library, Halifax and a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Leeds University. Like Maureen, he knows how to get the best from young people.
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