A
report on a project to help children to explore the consequences of
crime,
anti-social behaviour and citizenship
The Howard League has just completed its first programme in the North
of England in its Citizenship and Crime Project with a two-day event
at Allerton Grange School in Chapel Allerton on the north side of
Leeds.
To show the importance of the subject to the city, the Deputy Lord
Mayor, Councillor Michael Fox, was present at the opening session,
complete with chain and mace bearer, and on the second day, Leah Bracknell,
Zoe Tate in Emmerdale, added a bit of star quality, again to underline
the fact that crime is a significant feature of daily life for many
people and that children need to learn and think about it.
As Councillor
Fox pointed out, dealing with crime came out as the top issue in a
survey of people’s opinions in Leeds. Even those who were not
direct victims were often afraid to go out in case they were assaulted
or frightened of being burgled. Security is an important factor in
quality of life. But while the usual image in people’s minds
was of old people being attacked by young people, in fact most victims
were young people, and crime prevention was as important for the young
as for the old.
Allerton
Grange School is a big and busy comprehensive school with over 1700
students. There are ethnic minorities from virtually every country
in the world within its catchment, and the young people attending
the school reflect the fact. The school buildings are extensive, some
being traditional (and in parts ready for a lick of paint), but it
is also a Beacon School, and it has facilities including a superb
wing, housing the library and an extensive array of new technology,
where there is a sense of space for students to apply themselves to
their work. The atmosphere is busy and purposeful.
The children
taking part in the Howard League programme were in Year 8, being 11
- 12 year-olds. In all there were two programmes of two days each,
with 140 children on each programme, quite a large undertaking, reaching
a lot of children. All children taking part had the opportunity to
look at their experiences of crime as victims of crime, their fear
of crime and reporting crime. Their views on crime prevention and
personal safety were also explored and the results will be disseminated
to the Leeds Children’s Fund, who funded the venture, the Local
Authority and the participating schools.
Although
there are some sessions for the whole group in this project, much
of the work is done in small groups, which allows a higher degree
of participation. The groups are run by volunteers, many of them happening
to work in related fields concerned with crime. Teachers also sit
in on the groups or make themselves available to deal with problems
and ensure that the event meshes in with the daily life of the school.
The programme
is laid out in a booklet, one for each participant, in which there
is a variety of exercises which structure the event, while allowing
flexibility. At the start, there is a warm-up exercise in which the
tone is set, with a measure of structure but also encouragement to
participate and form group views.
For example,
each group decides on its rules for conduct and on the penalties for
breach of the rules. Only where there is unanimity is a rule agreed.
They are then written down and signed by all the group. In this way
a miniature model is created for understanding the law and its application.
The Howard League offers a number of examples of rules in its booklet,
one being that Chatham House rules should apply.
Interestingly,
the group which I sat in on were keen that everyone’s views
should be respected and that everyone should have the chance to be
heard, but there was also a strong view that group members should
not be compelled to participate, a tolerant philosophy that is doubtless
valuable in a school made up of people from many cultures. (They were
also Simpsons fans.)
The twin
aims of the programme are the provision of information, and the chance
to think about the subject and internalise the learning.
The programme
introduces the concept of crime and citizenship in a completely new
way. Through a specially designed courtroom drama, quizzes about knowledge
of the law, role-plays and games, discussions about rights, responsibilities
and citizenship, young people are given the opportunity to explore
why there is a need for criminal laws, how the penal system works,
how crime affects people and how young people can help to prevent
anti-social behaviour.
Allerton
Grange School was the last of the five Leeds Schools which had participated
in the programme, and the whole programme in Leeds had involved 700
children and 70 volunteers. Catryn Yousefi, Project Manager said:
“This is a very exciting time for the project. I am delighted
this challenging, empowering and educational project is working with
Leeds children and giving so many adult volunteers and visitors the
opportunity to interact positively with the children.” Two other
Howard League staff, Gemma Baker, Project Worker, and Euginia Lolomari,
Assistant Director, also participated.
The
Howard League has been running these programmes for five years now,
but until the recent programme in Leeds, they were all held in London
or the South-Eastern counties, such as Bedfordshire. The programme
has therefore reached over eleven thousand children over the years.
It is run in conjunction with partners who provide the funding and
select the schools to be invited to participate, often because of
their priority status. Sometimes the project is run in junior schools,
where a one-day programme is used.
To date,
the impact of the project has not been researched or evaluated, though
at each event there is the opportunity for participants to express
their views about the programme. Clearly, the project is well thought
out and well-structured; it deserves to succeed. Testing the long-term
impact of two-day events is obviously difficult, but it would be useful.
Without evaluation, it is difficult to judge which type of format
is most effective. To achieve attitude change, for example, it may
be that the programmes should be expanded and reinforced, though there
would be difficulty achieving continuity and it would be hard to recruit
sufficient volunteers.
The costs
of the programme are modest, though, and if the outcome is only a
small reduction in crime, it will have been worthwhile both to the
people who would have been victims and to the community as a whole.
And the children and young people should have had a good time too.
- on
the Howard League, please visit the website on www.howardleague.org.
- on
the project contact, please phone
Catryn Yousefi, Project Manager 07973 254 720
Gemma Barker, Project Officer 07729 498 832
The Howard League 020 7249 7373
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Howard League for Penal Reform
1 Ardleigh Road
LONDON
N1 4HS
Tel: 020 7249 7373
Fax: 020 7249 7788
email: howardleague@ukonline.co.uk
Photos: Michael Fox: www.labour.org;
Allerton Grange: whbs; others: Howard League stock
