Ethos Public Relations Manchester

Prison! Me! No way!

by Ethos public relations

Being locked up in a prison cell. Seeing how easily a street confrontation can escalate out of control and being 'arrested' - are all on the curriculum for some Rochdale teenagers as ALMO Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) commissions a series of workshops designed to warn them about the serious impact anti social behaviour could have on their future.

"These are not shock tactics," said Sue Kershaw, Communities First Co-ordinator at RBH. "The 'real life scenarios' are presented by experts to year 10 pupils in a matter of fact way that spells out quite clearly what life is like in prison and the consequences of joy-riding and other criminal or anti social behaviour."

RBH has directly commissioned the workshops and will be working with the No Way Trust, five local upper schools and the Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership to deliver the workshops using funding from its Communities First* initiative.

Sue adds: "These crime prevention workshops aim to reduce offending by showing young people; in a very practical way what the consequences of crime and anti social behaviour can be and therefore prevent young people becoming offenders in the first place. They also focus on the influences on behaviour and how young people can be in control and make positive choices."

The No Way Trust will show the youngsters the process a young person has to go through when they arrive as a new prisoner and they experience the loss of freedom, dignity and privacy for themselves when they are 'locked' up in a mobile prison cell.

"We are offering schools a bespoke event so that each school can choose workshops that relate to their own local issues and problems." said Sue. "It could be alcohol or drugs related - it could be bullying - or it could be petty crime. By providing specific workshops on real issues we hope they will have more of an impact.

"We are also funding the provision of the 'Wise-up!' teaching package in each school. This is produced by the Community Safety Education Foundation and is a resource that the schools can use throughout the year to supplement and build on the learning from the workshop events.

"Schools are regularly approached by a variety of agencies who want to work with pupils in the PSCHE arena - however time is always as issue.

"Our partnership approach means that other agencies have the chance to come on board with us so that together we can offer a fully co-ordinated project. And because the events meet learning outcomes in the PSCHE element of the curriculum, schools can ensure that they meet their educational standards."

Other partners include the Council, Police, Fire Service and Early Break.

Assistant Headteacher of Oulder Hill Community High School Christine MacInnes said: "We have a diversity of students here and the day was tailored specifically for us, perfect supplementing our citizenship work. The organisers have all been brilliant - within minutes our pupils were captivated by what they saw and heard."

Principal Eric Jackson of St Annes Academy said: "The work reinforces key messages we give out to pupils - that their actions can change the course of their lives and have a huge impact on themselves, their families and their community."

Posted at 5^th November 2009