Saskatchewan's young offenders between the ages of 12-17 lead the country in a variety of criminal offence categories in 2014, this according to new numbers from Statistics Canada.

In break and enters and mischief, Saskatchewan youth break the law at four times the national rate, twice the national rate in assault and six times the national rate in justice offences such as probabation violations and failure to appear in court.

One local resource in Swift Current is helping to reverse that trend by providing a safe and fun place for youth to spend time as opposed to being on the streets, increasing the risk for crime.

"We do run into a lot of kids whether they know someone who has done something wrong or are dealing with it themselves," says Assistant Program Director Kenton Unruh at 'The Center', a resource for young adults in Swift Current.

"We do have a lot of kids that come in here that are dealing with problems with the law, and a lot of it is talking through the situation and making them think about what the right thing is to do. Kids will come in and talk about a classmate bullying them at school or picking a fight with them. It is a lot of dealing with those issues and realizing you don't have to lower yourself to those levels."

Centre group

Those who spend time at 'The Center', part of the Swift Current Community Youth Initiative, are able to be helped on an academic and musical level as well. Free tutoring for school is offered on Tuesday to those needing assistance, and free guitar lessons offered Thursday evenings with the instrument provided. Unruh says many of the kids who have picked up the interest have become more open and receptive to conversation with others.

A new development at 'The Center' is called Center Perk, a coffee shop open to the public and operated by 'The Center' youth. Unruh says the goal is to help the young adults coming to The Centre build up their resumes and in turn, build confidence.

"We had three kids originally [working at Center Perk]. We had one who recently put in her notice and is currently getting another job, which is the entire point- to give them a base to start and help them move onto a different job".

All money raised from Center Perk goes toward wages for the workers and the supervisor mentoring them. All funding for 'The Center' comes from the provincial government, grants, churches and donations. Unruh says any additional funding or donations will be used to enhance and grow further programs and initiatives.

"If we get more money, we will open up different programs and avenues for the kids. We're here to make a difference for the kids and that is our entire goal. The more funding we have the more funding we will put in what we can do for the kids."