This article appeared in Homes & People Summer 2010

YHN joined forces with Frank Haslam Milan (FHM) and the Newcastle Eagles basketball team to get local schoolchildren thinking about what they can do to make their communities safer places to live.

Over the last year, YHN and FHM staff and members of the Newcastle Eagles basketball team have been out and about in primary schools across the city, working with children on the Courtside Challenge. 

The challenge

The Courtside Challenge was a booklet full of activities designed to encourage children to think about their contribution to community safety, and to give children the chance to have their say about what they like and dislike about their estates.  Activities ranged from a road safety poster competition to a community champion quiz to a questionnaire about bullying.

Twenty-eight primary schools took part in the project, with over 700 children completing the booklet.  As a reward for their hard work, each child received two free tickets to attend a special Eagles celebration game at Newcastle Arena.  One person from each school was also selected to receive a special award of four courtside tickets at the basketball game, with access to the players’ lounge after the game and a goody bag from the Eagles.

Stuart Clarke, Customer Involvement Officer at YHN, attended the celebration game in May:

“The Courtside Challenge has been a huge success.  It has given YHN the chance to find out what children think about where they live and, more importantly, it has encouraged young people to work together to think about the part they play in making their estates and communities safer places to live.” 
 

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