Almost 2,500 Primary 7 pupils from Highland schools will be immersed in the challenging issues of community safety and crime prevention when they attend Safe Highlanders and Islanders events in Inverness and four satelite locations including Fort William, Portree, Lairg and Wick. The Inverness event will take place in Cameron Barracks between 11 and 20 May 2011. The Sutherland and Lochaber events will take place on Wednesday 1 June, Skye & Lochalsh on Wednesday 15 June and Caithness on Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 September.
Safe Highlanders and Islanders is a nationally recognised partnership project which received the runner up award in the COSLA Partnership Working category at the inaugural Scottish Government Safer Community Awards 2010. Children following the event become more aware of personal safety, potentially avoid becoming victims of crime, understand how to react to emergency situations and learn more about becoming good citizens.
The scheme is based on the principle of "learning by doing" where youngsters will get their chance to experience a number of potentially hazardous situations and participate in a range of simulated practical exercises. Pupils will acquire life saving skills including first aid, fire and water safety, safety on roads and farms and for the first time this year also internet safety. Children shall also be presented with the dangers of electricity, buidling sites and substance misuse. For instance, at the fire safety set presented by the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service children will practice a fire evacuation plan. At the newly devised internet safety set presented by The Highland Council's Education, Culture and Sport Service / NHS Highland and Fujitsu pupils will see through a high impact visual display just how much personal information can be given away online unknowingly. They will be provided with tips to keep safe and how to get further advice.
The agencies involved in this year Inverness Safe Highlanders and Islanders event are The Highland Council, Northern Constabulary, NHS Highland, Highland and Islands Fire and Rescue Service, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, British Red Cross, Action for Children, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, Health and Safety Executive, Scottish and Southern Energy and Fujitsu. The event is supported as well by number of volunteers who escort children from one set to another during this eight days event. A number of young members of the 2nd Ness Bank Boys' Brigade, Inverness, will pack almost 1,700 goodie bags for attendees.
The Highland Council and all the involved agencies would like to thank all the volunteers and Ness Bank Boy's Brigade for their support given to this years Safe Highlanders event.