CR News and Case Studies

PruPIM 'Street Sounds' project wins Community Safety Award

05 Feb 2007

The Street Sounds project in Cwmbran has won an Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM) Wales Award 2007 for Promoting Community Safety.

The project was launched in conjunction with Cwmbran Shopping Centre back in 2005 and encouraged young people to get involved in a community initiative regarding anti-social behaviour focusing on skate boarding, which was a particular problem in the centre. The results of this project, part of the Prudential 4 Youth programme, culminated in an innovative DVD featuring the young peoples ideas and opinions developed into lyrics and put to a backing track, as well as a community event held in the centre where the young people presented their DVD and ideas.

Funded by Torfaen Community Safety Partnership and Cwmbran Shopping, the music and media project was run as part of the national Prudential 4 Youth programme, backed by town centre owners, Prudential.

Cwmbran Shopping Manager Gerry Hutchings, said: “Our aim was to actively involve young people during the school holidays to harness their interest, and divert them away from congregating in and around the town centre, which can be daunting for other shoppers We were really pleased with the turn out at the event and with the support shown by the local community. It was great for the youngsters to see local people interested in their opinions and in the hard work they had put in.”

The project initially began by encouraging the youngsters to look at the public’s perception of them, and then gave them the opportunity to have their say. Their ideas and opinions on stopping substance misuse and antisocial behaviour were then developed into lyrics, and set to a backing track.

The showcase event, in the town centre, was also used to promote the work carried out by the young people involved, which included devising and collating questionnaires about people’s perceptions, and filming around Cwmbran to capture the public image of youngsters in the area.

And as well as the first public showing of the DVD, there were also displays featuring the background to the project, and banners featuring artistic images of the word 'respect'.

“Our aim was to actively involve young people during the school holidays to harness their interest, and divert them away from congregating in and around the town centre, which can be daunting for other shoppers,” said Gerry.

The programme also included a wide range of summer leisure activities organised by the Cwmbran Centre for Young People, such as skate park trips, carting and graffiti workshops, supported by Cwmbran Shopping.

Editor’s Notes

• All media queries, please call Crime Concern media officer Jane Edmonds on 01793 863520 or 07795 428338. Or Prudential 4 Youth National Programme Assistant Lisa Huggins on 0207 548 6544 or 07881 805 044.
• Cwmbran Shopping Centre is owned by Prudential – whose shopping centre investments include the Mander Centre in Wolverhampton and the Swan Centre in Eastleigh.
• Prudential 4 Youth is based on the proven Youth Action Group approach which has evolved during 13 years of development through the partnership of Crime Concern and Prudential. Already an integral part of the work of community safety partnerships, the focus has now turned to town and city centres across the country, with Prudential-owned shopping centres, to encourage and support young people to make a difference in their local community.
• Prudential 4 Youth projects have achieved highly significant outcomes to deal with issues of anti-social behaviour, street crime and youth nuisance. Achievements have contributed to a 16% reduction in the theft of mobile phones through the Wolverhampton Mander Centre project, a 21.6% reduction in insurance claims as a result of malicious damage through the Manchester Arndale project and a 70% reduction in youth nuisance through the Washington Galleries project.
• Crime Concern is an independent social enterprise. Working across England and Wales, its aim is to reduce crime and create safer communities. This is done through consultancy and through over 50 local projects. Crime Concern also helps shape the latest thinking in crime prevention and reduction and ensures this thinking is translated into action.

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