Anti-Social Behaviour can affect the quality of life of individuals and communities, creating a sense of fear and insecurity, which can lead to more serious crime. As part of a newly formed Taskforce dedicated to addressing Anti-Social Behaviour, Blaenau Gwent Youth Service and Education have taken proactive steps to educate and empower young people in the community by delivering Weapon Awareness Training to a group of young learners.
In partnership with Media Academy Cymru, they organised ‘Braver Choices’ workshops, which were delivered across youth centres and schools in Blaenau Gwent on the 16th and 17th of April. These workshops aimed to raise awareness amongst young people about the dangers and consequences of carrying weapons, particularly knives. The sessions focused on the impact on families and friends and helped raise awareness about relevant laws in relation to bladed articles and offensive weapons.
The Blaenau Gwent Youth Service and Education Department also enrolled young learners onto the Street Doctors ‘Reducing Violence Programme that delivers Emergency First Aid training sessions for young people affected by violence. This initiative aims to equip young people with potentially, life-saving knowledge in emergency situations.
The young people learnt how to deal with bleeding by seeing practical examples and asking questions and the science behind blood loss, clarifying some common misconceptions. The young people also learnt how to give first aid to someone who is unconscious, how to put them in the recovery position, and how to perform chest compressions. These new skills were then put into practice by enacting scenarios to reinforce their learning.
Blaenau Gwent Youth Service is an integral part of a new-formed collaborative Taskforce composed of Blaenau Gwent Council, Gwent Police, and Tai Calon Community Housing. Together they are working towards the shared goal of reducing Anti-Social Behaviour in our communities.
Martyn Smith, Serious Violence Lead for Gwent commented:
“I’m very impressed with the work that Blaenau Gwent Youth Service and Education Department are undertaking to reduce violence in the community through innovative programmes such as those delivered by Street Doctors. This initiative supported by the Police and Crime Commissioner has provided youngsters affected by violence with first aid training, giving them the practical skills and confidence to help themselves and others in need. By working together in partnership as part of the Serious Violence Duty we are committed to reducing youth violence and making our communities safer for all.”
ASB encompasses any behaviour that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people. It can include noise nuisance, vandalism, littering, fly-tipping, drug dealing, intimidation, harassment, and hate crime. ASB can affect the quality of life of individuals and communities and create a sense of fear and insecurity.
If you are interested in learning more about our efforts to address Anti-Social Behaviour, we encourage you to attend our Talk 2gether’ event in Blaina High St on May 21st, 5pm – 7pm. This event provides an opportunity to hear about the actions we are taking, be informed on how to report incidents, and have your voice heard in shaping our collective response to ASB.
For more information on ASB and how to report, you can visit our website by following the link here: Anti-Social Behaviour | Blaenau Gwent CBC (blaenau-gwent.gov.uk)