A project that aims to steer teenagers away from a life of crime and antisocial behaviour has seen some positive results.
As part of a pilot scheme, Mansfield District Council along with Nottinghamshire Police, the local Youth Service and other partners, arranged for a group of young people to take part in a range of outdoor activities they wouldn't usually have the opportunity to do.
A total of 15 young people, aged 8 to 16, visited Pleasley Vale Outdoor Activity Centre over two days during the October half-term break.
The young people tried a range of activities including rafting, which involved working together as a team, and archery. They were accompanied by members of the council’s Community Safety team and Nottinghamshire Police, who worked with local schools and Youth Services to identify young people within the Forest Town beat area who might benefit.
The council received £34,495 of funding in 2020/21 from Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner to run the project, which was delayed until now due to the pandemic. The local Co-Op provided food for packed lunches.
Cllr Marion Bradshaw, Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities, Housing and Wellbeing, said: “It’s vital that young people are given the opportunity to try activities that they wouldn’t otherwise get to do. It’s also important that at this young age they have positive experiences with members of the public services that are here to keep us all safe.
“One participant who had been involved in antisocial behaviour and generally held a negative view of the police, apologised to a police officer for their previous behaviour and shook their hand. The feedback from local schools has been very positive and we hope to build on this project so we can continue making a difference to local young people and the communities they live in.”
PC Colin Bland, of the Mansfield North neighbourhood policing team, said: “Being a police officer is not always about chasing criminals or arresting people – it is equally about engaging with your local community and learning more about their lives and their concerns. We know that our young people face some very particular challenges and we were delighted to use this opportunity to get to know some of them better. My colleague PCSO Mark Jennings and I really enjoyed our visit and look forward to taking part in similar activities in the future.”
Working with young people to break the cycle of offending and reoffending is a major focus for the council. The Community Safety team is working with the Nottingham-based organisation Switch Up. It offers mentoring, education and physical activity opportunities for young people with the aim of improving behaviour, school attendance, exam results, employability, mental and physical health, as well as confidence and self-esteem.
As a result of the positive feedback so far, the council has joined forces with Mansfield’s Youth Service to create a unique new role of outreach youth worker who will work alongside the Antisocial Behaviour team and its partners. They will work with young people responsible for antisocial behaviour in Mansfield district and continue to find new ways to make a difference.