Lessons on community pride for Southey's infants
Some of a Sheffield suburb’s youngest members have been giving their views on making their community a better place to live as part of a major anti-social behaviour initiative.
The city’s pioneering Neighbourhood Action Team have visited Y2 pupils at Southey Green Infant School to chat to the kids about issues affecting their own neighbourhoods.
The team, who are part of Sheffield Homes, the organisation that manages the city’s council homes, has been encouraging the infants to think about the effects of anti-social behaviour through interactive sessions involving discussions around community rules and doing crosswords, jigsaws and word searches. The kids were then encouraged to illustrate what they’d learnt in a poster competition.
The team invited local Tenants’ and Residents’ Association member Mike Bower and Debbie Nicholson, development worker for Southey, to attend a special ceremony at the school to award two overall winners with prizes of books for their efforts. The winners’ parents were also invited along to help receive the honour and spread the word about the initiative amongst the wider community.
Paul Webb, Area Housing Manager for Sheffield Homes, said: “The earlier school children begin to take pride in their community the better. The Neighbourhood Action Team has devised fun and interesting methods to get young people to think about the effects of anti-social behaviour and this can only benefit the whole community.”
The winning posters have been framed and will now go on display at the school. All competition runners up received Sheffield Homes pens and furry bugs.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The Neighbourhood Action Team (NAT) are funded by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. They work closely with Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations, the Police, schools and many others to tackle some of the anti social behaviour in the area. The NAT concentrate on prevention and education. They complement the Anti Social Behaviour Team who are responsible for enforcement action.
PRESS CONTACT: Neil Anderson at Anderson Waugh tel: 0114 225 7080