Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge 2009 launched

Crime Stoppers Tasmania has launched the Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge 2009, with a focus on violence against young people.

Each year the Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge provides students from upper primary and High School and their teachers with the opportunity to explore a different area of crime.

The theme for this year’s Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge is Youth Violence.

Bruce Free, Marketing and Project Manager for Crime Stoppers said, "The program aims to have students research the impact youth violence potentially has on their own community and suggest initiatives to tackle the issues and reduce related crimes."

"Participants are encouraged to work together in school groups to design practical solutions to assist in prevention and reduction of youth violence", Free said.

Violence among young people is of great concern and is a problem affecting all communities. Youth violence can impact significantly upon the lives of victims, offenders and their families.

Violence can be both physical and psychological, and is usually caused to by a number of different factors. Peer pressure, cultural differences and the use of alcohol are just some of the factors that may lead to an act of violence among young people.

Youth violence occurs in a range of settings where young people physically gather and interact, such as schools, shopping centres, social gatherings including parties and transport centres.

The growth in new technologies has seen an increase in the avenues through which young people can communicate. E-mail, sms, and a multitude of social networking sites, like YouTube and FaceBook, have also provided other means from which bullying and other forms of violence can be directed.

Crime Stoppers Tasmania invites schools to participate in this year’s Challenge to assist in identifying and addressing many of the issues linked to youth violence And examining the role that Crime Stoppers can play in tackling these issues.

The 2009 Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge Tasmanian topic Youth Violence was adopted by Crime Stoppers following consultation with the Tasmanian Department of Education, Tasmania Police and the Board of Crime Stoppers Tasmania.

The Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge Tasmania is a competition for students in Years 5 to 10.

Three entry categories are:

• Upper Primary Years 5/6
• Lower Secondary Years 7/8
• Upper Secondary Years 9/10

The Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge is designed to help young people:

• understand the context of crime, ethical issues surrounding crime, the motivations of those committing the crime, and the causes of crime;
• understand the consequences of crime for individuals and the whole community including any personal, legal, economic and social impact;
• suggest solutions to reduce and prevent crime through research and presentation of their findings to the community;
• understand the formal processes of solving crime, including the role of Crime Stoppers;
• involve the community in understanding crime and the role of Crime Stoppers; and
• make purposeful use of the educational tools and information technology available.

Registration closes 12th June, 2009.

Entries close Friday 25th September, 2008.

Judging will take place in October with an awards ceremony to be held late October

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Award Winners

Gold - $600, Silver - $400, Bronze - $200

For the first three categories

Upper Primary (Grades 5/6)

Gold – Table Cape Primary

Silver Goodwood Primary School

Bronze St Mary’s College (Phantom)

Lower Secondary (Grades 7/8):

Gold – Cressy District High

Silver – Deloraine High

Bronze – Riverside High (Mikayla)

Highly Commended – Kingston High

Upper Secondary (Grades 9/10):

Gold – Burnie Youth Council

Silver – Wynyard High School

Bronze – New Town High School

Police Commissioner’s Award:

Oatlands High, in recognition of their enthusiasm and contribution to the Crime Stoppers Youth Challenge