Youngsters give views on staying safe
16 May 2008
Young people have given their views on how they can stay safe at a landmark event hosted in the county.
More than 230 young people attended the first ‘Bounce’ event hosted by the Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Board to encourage children aged eight to 16 years to develop ideas about what makes them feel safe.
They were able to take part in creative workshops in animation, music production, sculpture, theatre and creative installation art at the event at County Hall, Matlock.
And they also had the chance to try circus skills, space hopper racing, street dance and a climbing wall as well as seeing young local bands.
Derbyshire schools got in on the act by hosting sessions with professional artists in class which were developed further at the event. Schools taking part were:
Mill Hill School, Ripley
The William Allitt School, Swadlincote
Ilkeston School
Springwell Community School, Chesterfield
Glossopdale Community College, Glossop
Safety themes in the sessions included accidental injuries, crime and anti-social behaviour and bullying.
Councillor Alan Charles, Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for schools, said: “This gave students a great opportunity to work alongside professional artists to develop their creative skills and share ideas with other young people.
“Students taking part produced excellent work and were able to see how students from other schools in the county had responded to the challenges.
“The ideas and skills they learned will help them in the future both in and out of the classroom.”
Ideas put forward by the youngsters at ‘Bounce’, held on May 11, will be fed back to Derbyshire Children Safeguarding Board partners at a conference for professionals working with young people on June 2. Agencies working with children and young people will then look at ways of feeding these ideas into the way they work.
Councillor Anne Western, Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, said: “The day was a great success and gave us a marvellous opportunity to talk to young people and help them to share their ideas with us in a fun way.
“We’re working hard with our partners to make sure we are doing everything in our power to give our children a safe, secure and happy start in life.
“The results of this day will help us continue to support families and young people in a way that suits their needs.”
SMART ART: (from left) Lauren Adams, 13, and Emily Muir, 13, from Glossop, join Councillor Alan Charles, cabinet member for schools, in finding a creative way to generate ideas about safety.
Notes to news editors: The Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Board (DSCB) consists of Derbyshire County Council, the police, health trusts, child and family court advisory and support services, Derbyshire Probation Service, district and borough councils, Connexions and youth offending teams.
The board was set up to introduce changes to the way children are protected required by the Government in the aftermath of the tragic death of Victoria Climbie. Its three main aims are to:
Ensure children grow up in a safe environment
Safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are potentially vulnerable, such as those living away from home, those who have run away from home and children with disabilities
Protect children who are suffering, or at risk of suffering maltreatment.
