The Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Junior Citizenship Programme has taught 1,800 local children about road safety, hate crime, first aid and the dangers of grooming and exploitation, writes Molly Hunt…
Over two weeks, 1,800 children in Year 6 from across 45 Greenwich schools attended safety workshops on a range of topics to prepare them for their transition into secondary school.
The workshops ran from 15 to 26 June at Sutcliffe Park Sports Centre in Eltham and Hawksmoor Youth Hub in Thamesmead, and were led by experts from the council, Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service, Marlborough Highways, Veolia and Transport for London.
Each group attended seven workshops which covered road safety, bus and tube safety, fire safety, grooming and exploitation, first aid, hate crime and trading standards.
Councillor Joshua Ayodele, Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Integrated Enforcement, said that keeping children safe is at the heart of this programme. “It plays a vital role in preparing primary school pupils for the next stage of their education while giving them the knowledge and confidence to recognise and respond to the risks they may encounter as they become more independent.”
Children were taught how to look out for signs of grooming and who to tell if they ever experience it, emphasising the importance of reaching out to a trusted adult. Signs of grooming included receiving expensive gifts and being asked to deliver unknown bags or items somewhere. The workshop also covered the consequences of knife crime.
The students also learnt about what a hate crime is, how it might make someone feel and who to tell if they saw one happening.
The Trading Standards workshop taught the children the importance of being careful when shopping online and looking out for counterfeit clothing and toys. The group had a chance to take a look at ‘fake’ branded clothing to see if they could spot the difference.
Ayodele added that this programme works closely with partner agencies and key local services in order to equip pupils in the borough with practical life skills, raise awareness of potential dangers within their communities, and empower them to make safe and informed decisions. “Together, we are committed to making Greenwich a safer place for every child as they transition to secondary school and beyond.”
