Lessons in life at the 31st Junior Citizen fortnight in Crawley

The Crawley Borough Council-organised event is open to all Year 6 children, teaching the 10 and 11-year-olds to identify potentially dangerous situations, providing advice on what to do and helping them learn valuable life skills to encourage responsible citizenship.

Students with additional needs from Manor Green College also participated for the first time this year – one of 25 schools to take part.

The Mayor, Cllr Jilly Hart, and four members of the Cabinet visited one of the morning sessions to see the range of activities the pupils were involved in.

Cabinet member for Public Protection, Cllr Yasmin Khan said: “This is the 31st year we have run Junior Citizen and this year has been particularly important as we have shifted focus to newer issues facing our young people such as risks with online gaming, social media pressures and exploitation.”

Moving round the carousel of stands, the 10 and 11-year-olds were met by police, fire, environmental health, railways, wellbeing and community safety personnel, and a representative of Metro Bank gave advice on managing personal finances.

Cllr Bob Noyce, Cabinet member for Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change said: “I am really pleased to see that the evolution of the Junior Citizen event has retained vital workshops to raise awareness about the environment, including the important role recycling and moderating water usage plays in protecting the environment. I particularly enjoyed seeing our environmental health team delivering a session on effective handwashing and the risks associated with food preparation.”

Cllr Sue Mullins, Cabinet member for Community Development and Culture, was particularly pleased to see Manor Green College taking part for the first time this year.

She added: “I was talking to some of the presenters and they were saying what a fantastic opportunity this is to engage with the children on so many safety issues and it’s an event we need to keep going long into the future.”

The Hawth theatre played host to Junior Citizen again with a member of the Probus Club of the Sussex Weald, a supporter of the event, making sure presenters and pupils keep to the 10-minute schedule for each workshop.

Cabinet member for Leisure and Wellbeing, Cllr Chris Mullins, said: “Events that bring awareness and education to children are very important; Junior Citizen achieves the objectives of giving the kids information they can learn from. Life out there can be risky and so it’s great to be teaching them to be careful, observant and how to look after themselves.”