Youth challenged to make community safer
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
17/01/2006
Youth challenged to make community safer
Young people in Hammersmith & Fulham are being challenged to make their neighbourhood a safer place, as part of the first Safer Neighbourhoods Annual Challenge, or SNAC, in London.
The SNAC works with school and youth groups, challenging groups or individual 11 to 19 year olds to come up with ideas to make Hammersmith and Fulham a safer place to be.
The SNAC was launched at Hurlingham and Chelsea Schoolthis morning, at a ceremony attended by students, local police and Councillor Stephen Cowan, deputy leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, which is a supporter of the SNAC.
Suggested SNAC projects might include graffiti cleaning, after school activities to divert young people from crime, crime awareness or youth inclusion projects. Ultimately, the idea is for young people to come up with original, feasible ideas.
Chief Inspector John Sutherland, who is coordinating the inaugural SNAC, has high hopes for its future.
“We believe that the best ideas or suggestions for projects are ones that we haven’t even considered, that young people will devise using imagination and local knowledge.
“There’s a lot of negativity surrounding the issues of young people and antisocial behaviour and we see this as a good way to turn it on its head – by asking young people how we all as a community, can tackle these problems.
“This project is a way of getting young people to invest in their neighbourhoods through projects which are helpful and, most of all, fun. The SNAC is based on an idea which has been extremely successful in Manchester, but this is a first for Londonand we hope that it will get bigger and better.”
As part of the Manchesterproject, young people cleared their local park of graffiti and litter and put up goal posts to tempt young footballers away from the streets.
They also visited the elderly in their area, handing out money belts and attack alarms and giving crime prevention advice.
Cabinet member for social inclusion, Councillor Reg McLaughlin, said he looked forward to seeing the SNAC projects take shape.
“As a council, we’re always encouraging all our residents to take pride in their community and participate in improving our borough. The SNAC is a way for us directly to reach young people and get them interested and involved.”
“We’re encouraging all young people in Hammersmith and Fulham who are eligible to participate to take part, they could even win some great prizes.”
Winners will receive a range of fantastic prizes for themselves and a cash prize for their school or youth club. The overall winner will receive the SNAC trophy. Winners will be revealed at a celebrity red carpet awards ceremony in May 2006.
SNAC Projects should be based in Hammersmith & Fulham and be imaginative, practical, affordable and sustainable, making a real and lasting difference to their local neighbourhood. To find out more, contact: thesnac@hotmail.co.uk and the website is www.thesnac.com
Editors notes
The Safer Neighbourhoods Annual Challenge (‘The SNAC’) is an initiative designed to:
• Make Hammersmith & Fulham a Safer Borough;
• Encourage young people to get involved in:
- Identifying problems within their local neighbourhoods;
- Suggesting potential solutions to those problems;
- Making those solutions work;
• Reduce crime and the fear of crime within neighbourhoods;
• Encourage sustainable community engagement and regeneration within neighbourhoods;
• Encourage the development of effective, long-term problem-solving partnerships within the Borough;
The SNAC already has the support of:
- The Metropolitan Police;
- The LondonBorough of Hammersmith & Fulham;
- EMI;
- The BBC;
- Fulham Football Club;
- Queens ParkRangers Football Club.
- Chelsea Football Club
- Haymarket Publishing
- United International Pictures
- LondonFire Brigade
Suggested SNAC projects might include:
• Neighbourhood Improvement – e.g. graffiti cleaning;
• Crime Diversion – e.g. an after-school scheme;
• Youth Inclusion – e.g. development/improvement of a local facility for young people;
• Crime Reduction – e.g. a property marking project;
• Crime Awareness – e.g. a campaign to highlight the consequences/ dangers of carrying a knife.
