Crucial Crew 2007 – Life skills for young people in Welwyn Hatfield

Following the success of last year’s Crucial Crew event, Welwyn Hatfield’s Community Safety Partnership’s (CSP) second Crucial Crew fortnight (25 June to 6 July 2007) is under way at the University of Hertfordshire’s Lindop Building. By helping young people to stay safe as they prepare for secondary school, the sessions put into practice the CSP’s motto, “StaySafe in Welwyn Hatfield”.

The scheme is aimed at Year 6 pupils to offer ‘crucial’ life skills and lessons in personal safety and crime prevention in a positive and fun way. Every school in the Borough with Year 6 students has been invited to take part in the initiative. Thirty-nine schools have taken up the offer.

Students attend a two-hour session, which is divided into eight specific scenarios: stranger danger; fire safety; first aid; road safety; railway safety; anti-social behaviour; healthy lifestyles (smoking); and bullying. All students are given an information pack and a leaflet for their parents. Over the fortnight the CSP will host 20 sessions, which means that over 1,000 Year 6 pupils will be addressed. All of this is funded entirely by the CSP and many staff from several member groups of the CSP are giving up their time to be at the event.

Sgt Lara Stevenson, Herts Constabulary’s Community Safety Unit Sergeant for Welwyn Hatfield, said: “At the age of 10 and 11 young people are becoming more independent and are out and about more both on their own and with their friends. Increasingly they need to make choices about their activities and their behaviour. Crucial Crew aims to give children the skills and knowledge to deal with new and potentially dangerous situations and also informs them on how to behave in a responsible and socially acceptable manner. By providing advice directly from experienced professionals, we hope to reinforce what they have already been told at home and school.”

Jay Patel, Welwyn Hatfield Council’s Community Safety Partnership Co-ordinator, added: “It’s great that the Community Safety Partnership has been able to fund a second Crucial Crew fortnight. I must thank everyone who has been involved both in running the sessions and behind the scenes – this fortnight is quite an organisational feat! A special thank you also goes to the University of Hertfordshire’s Education Liaison Department for hosting the event and to Master Travel for providing transport. I would also like to thank all the schools involved – their response to the initiative has been extremely positive.”

Miss Bryant, a teacher from Springmead JMI School in Welwyn Garden City, said, after a morning at Crucial Crew: “The children have all had a good time. These sessions were really helpful and I know everyone has learnt lots of different aspects about keeping safe and acceptable behaviour. I look forward to bringing another group of students along next year.”

More information can be found in Press Releases and on the Community Safety Partnership page.