Damage Done - It Doesn't Just Happen

Everyone who works with young people knows that sometimes they simply don't think about the consequences of their actions. And that's a key role for informal educators - to encourage young people to think about their behaviour and encourage them to recognise that their actions can affect their lives in both positive and negative ways. That's why, despite some shortcomings, the approach of this DVD is welcomed.

Produced by Safer South Gloucestershire in conjunction with the local police and fire service, it includes four short films about the often unforeseen consequences of thoughtless antisocial behaviour. These include leaving a broken bottle by swings, casual vandalism of a car, graffitiing near the house of a vulnerable person and playing with fire. In each film, there is something of a twist - for example, the child who is hurt by broken glass is the daughter of a friend of one of the young people involved, the car that is damaged turns out to be the new vehicle of someone's sister, and, most tragically, the youth worker killed in a fire at the youth centre is someone's uncle.

I was a bit worried at this notion - an action doesn't become wrong only because you are affected by its outcome - but on reflection it's probably an acceptably pragmatic response. Young people are encouraged to reflect that bad things happen when you do bad things.

The DVD comes with lesson plans for youth workers to guide and broaden out discussions. It's recommended for citizenship and personal, social and health education sessions and it will need that relatively formal setting to work.

The approach does feel a little top-down - the situations appear determined by the needs of the agencies involved in the film rather than coming from the real dilemmas faced by young people. There's little tension between the young people about what they should or shouldn't do and hence no highlighting of the options and choices they might have. That may limit its usefulness but its aims are good ones.