Your Call Published by Crimestoppers Free Telephone 020 8254 3200
One of the most basic and most fulfilling parts of any youth worker's role, indeed of any adult's interaction with young people, is when the discussion turns to doing the right thing. Enabling a young person to appreciate moral complexity, to become an individual who is able to exercise judgment and weigh up competing influences, is a vital process.
All of that might sound rather grand in connection with this short, simple DVD from Crimestoppers, which is first and foremost about reassuring young people that they can call anonymously with information about a crime. Nonetheless, it is a resource that offers a simple "way in" for youth workers to raise profound issues.
Basically, it consists of three short semianimated films featuring a happy slapping attack, a knife attack and a robbery. Each scenario is set in a dark and dingy backstreet environment with a menacing soundtrack.
Fortunately, expectations are subverted somewhat when, for example, a mean-faced hoodie goes into a cornershop only to pay up with a smile. It is when he goes outside that he witnesses a knife attack.
After each film the rubric "You know who did this, what would you do?" appears along with four options: do nothing, get revenge, go to the police, or contact Crimestoppers.
The strength of the approach here is the simplicity - no preparation or special knowledge is required, but the few trigger questions that follow each option should set you off on a discussion that reaches far beyond the mere ethics of grassing. The Crimestoppers option leads to a real-life film pushing home the anonymity message - fair enough, it's their film, although there's more interesting material elsewhere.
Reviewed by Tim Burke, consultant editor, Young People Now.
