A new film school is helping young offenders build a positive future.

Te Hunga Manaaki Services manager Delice McShane started the course to fill a gap in the support available to young people at risk.

See video below of course participant William Falconer talk about how the course has helped him.

The short video course is based on a Canadian programme that has cut youth reoffending rates dramatically.

Delice recognised there was a gap in programmes available to help young offenders when the agency completes health assessments for the Ministry of Justice's youth programme.

'When we finish our assessment we need to look at a plan that will keep these kids out of trouble, but I had struggled to find programmes that were successful for these kids – the kids that are troublesome and disruptive and nobody wants.”

Searching for a programme to fill the gap, Delice was struck by Canadian organisation PACT which had helped cut youth reoffending rates from 67 per cent to less than three per cent in small British Columbia town Sparwood.

'I looked at this figure and I went ‘wow', this is exactly what we need here.”

A trip to Canada proved the programme's worth and the first course started in December.

The programme is a short film school that allows youth to share stories about their lives and the traumatic experiences they have been through. The process of producing a video also works as therapy in helping them deal with these issues.

Delice smiles as she talks about the success it has already had helping young people leave their emotional baggage behind.

Two girls from the first intake have gone on to university, while the current class of three are focused on their own goals of attending film school, excelling in competitive body building and learning graffiti art from Owen Dippie.