Describe your best practice
A partnership between 1st Towcester Scouts and Towcester Neighbourhood Watch (NW). An initial meeting with the Scout leader identified the Scout’s Community Impact Stage 1 badge as one likely to bind our two groups and meet our aspirations. See: https://members.scouts.org.uk/supportresources/4281/community-impact-staged-activity-badge
A key message with this badge is for “the Scouts to take practical action in the service of others, in order to create positive social change. It benefits the wider community as well as the young people taking part.”
What did you do and why?
At that first meeting we decided on 4 steps:
(i) NW attending an evening meeting with the Scouts (about 25 Scouts and 5 volunteer leaders). We began with a powerpoint presentation (available on request) on the background to Neighbourhood Watch.
There were then break-out sessions with small groups of Scouts with post-it notes and a flipchart to consider the following:
– What is acceptable behaviour?
– What is not acceptable behaviour?
– What ideas do you have for a safer town/village?
We also asked the Scouts to design a “Young Neighbourhood Watch” logo and some posters based on our three questions. We had a prize for the winner of each category.
(ii) A few weeks later the Scouts with their leaders spent the evening walking around the town looking for examples of the above and also interviewing local people with a survey based on the above three questions. (Some video footage was also taken with the necessary permissions.)
(iii) The Scouts next work was to take their ideas from the earlier break-out session, as well as their findings from the walkabouts and interviews, to compile a film based on a “talking heads” approach. This can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzC7itAPXhw&feature=youtu.be
(iv) A small team from the Neighbourhood Watch group then revisited the Scouts to catch up on their work, see the film, assess the artwork and hand out prizes.
We also took this opportunity to talk about some basic crime prevention and security that families can do at home.
Duration of the project
The Stage 1 badge involves a 3-month long project.
What worked well?
We wish to underline how impressed we were with the Scouts and their volunteer leaders, and the very creative, thoughtful film and artwork of course. We presented the Scouts each with a goody-bag (torch/alarms, hi-viz armbands, stickers and leaflets) and also a small cheque donation to the Scout group.
How did you overcome any challenges?
We should add though that all stages of our work with the Scouts we did not place emphasis on theft, crime, ASB and violence as it was not our intention to worry or disturb them (or their families) as that could easily be counter-productive.
How did you cover any costs?
Not known if there were any costs involved
Force/ Borough area
Northamptonshire