Focus on…Streetwise
Of all the charities I visited for thehub newsletter, none relies more on volunteers than Streetwise. Without volunteers, Streetwise could not run. Every year, 10-12,000 children visit the Streetwise Interactive Safety Centre whose aim is to “raise awareness of everyday safety and good citizenship issues”.
In a warehouse only a few miles from the university the life-size village, built inside a warehouse, includes a high street with shops and offices, a park, beach, railway track, farmyard, heath land, building site, electricity substation, dark alley and even a complete two storey house. All the scenarios are designed to point out and explore the possible hazards these different environments can pose.
Streetwise is based on the concept of Interactive Safety Education, creating realistic situations which children can participate in and assess in a safe and controlled environment. “Interactive education involves visiting a prepared scenario, identifying the dangers and learning what steps to take to avoid the risk. By making the scenarios as realistic as possible the messages have a relevant importance.” As well as teaching children to stay safe, the programme also emphasises the importance of looking after the local environment and community.
Hazards and possible dangers covered include car accidents, stranger danger, fire and electrical safety, contacting the emergency services, personal safety, crime prevention and water safety. Children are expected to take a proactive approach to spotting possible hazards and the solutions to these problems, guided by their safety officer. For example, after assessing some hazards in the kitchen area, a smoke generator is set off. The children must notice this before being led from the smoke-filled room by crawling on the floor. The children are then taken to the Streetwise phone booth where one makes a 999 call to report the fire, supported by their safety guide. The children have learnt how to react in a fire to ensure their safety and others’ and how to report an emergency through experience and interaction. This is the basis for all learning at Streetwise.
The charity currently has five paid staff and requires about 70 volunteers to run at its most effective, whether they want to volunteer every day or just three hours every few weeks. Volunteering as a safety guide involves showing groups of five or six children around the centre for two hours, guiding discussion, asking and answering questions and coaxing answers from the group. All volunteers are trained on all aspects of the post, including a rough script which contains all the information to cover. Volunteers initially work with established safety guides until they feel confident to take a group out alone.
Like all the charities I have visited for thehub, I was struck by the enthusiasm and commitment of the volunteers and staff who dedicate their time for the safety and education of local children.
Tony Sheldrake, Publicity Officer, and volunteer himself, is keen to explain how many useful skills and experiences Streetwise volunteers can gather for both self and career development. “Many BU volunteers work at Streetwise to compliment nursing, health or community care degrees and the experience is particularly useful for those hoping to go on to a career in public or community services, such the police force or social services.” The self confidence and presentation skills learnt through volunteering are also invaluable for any degree and future career.
If you would like to have fun, work with children, benefit your community and be part of an enthusiastic and dedicated team, then Streetwise is the place for you! Search for Streetwise Safety Centre Volunteer Safety Guide on thehub for more details.
By Gemma Flay
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