Rekk 6 Steps Booklet 3 - rekk Youth Shelters · 6 steps to a successful youth shelter Teenagers – Here or Where? ... mature by socialising and learning to relate to each other away

Rekk 6 Steps Booklet 3 18/11/08 12:14 Page 2

Police and Government recommend youth sheltersas part of the solution and teenagers are nowasking for them. Whether or not a youth shelteris the right response for your community has to bedecided locally so I wrote this guide – now in it’sthird edition - to help encourage and inform thedebate. With our compliments, the guide isfree and if you would like further copies just letme know and I’ll organise them.

Steve Evans FCAManaging Directorrekk Limitedrekk House8 Belfry WayEdwaltonNOTTINGHAMNG12 4FA

Andrew KennonClerk to the Home Affairs Select Committee

Committee OfficeWestminster House7 MillbankLONDONSW1P 3AA

Dear Mr Kennon

YOUTH SHELTERSRobin Corbett wrote to Jack Straw on 10 May to report on the brief investigation the

HAC carried out into youth shelters. The Committee was clearly impressed with the

schemes they saw and they suggested that future crime reduction schemes should

have criteria that would make it possible for youth shelters to qualify for funding, and

that we should also consider evaluating such schemes in future research into youth

crime and neighbourhood nuisance.I am attracted to the youth shelter idea. There are considerable attractions in these

sort of innovative schemes. They fit extremely well into the agenda which will be

tackling anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood nuisance. More positively, I believe

such schemes can play a role in working with young people and dealing with

disaffection. I will be asking my officials to take the HAC’s comments into account in

drawing up the criteria for future funding programmes. Similarly, regional Crime

Reduction Directors have been told of the HAC study and my interest in it.

Our aim, as always, is to be as effective as possible in reducing crime and disorder,

and I believe that youth shelter schemes could fit well into the strategies prepared by

local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in tackling youth disorder. There

can also be community regeneration dimensions to these schemes and so my

officials are also talking to their counterparts in the Department of Transport, Local

Government and the Regions.

Yours sincerely

DAVID BLUNKETT

Home Secretary

526DB

[email protected] | +44 (0) 800 6120 111 | rekk.co.uk2

6 steps to a successful youth shelter

Teenagers – Here or Where?


[email protected] | +44 (0) 800 6120 111 | rekk.co.uk

6 steps to a successful youth shelter

3

Build the case, advocate and recruit partners to plan, consult and deliver. What are WE going to do about it?

Propose an accessible, convenient, familiar and visible location.

Select youth shelter options that compete with the placesyoung people meet now or nothing will change.

Consult and engage with all local stakeholders to raise awareness,ownership and understanding of what happens if we do nothingand ‘what’s in it for me?’

Develop a ‘lifetime’ ownership strategy to buy in new usersas the youth group changes over time.

Build the case

Location

Design

Consultation

Ownership

Support Co-ordinate provision with partner support to embedthe youth shelter as a community facility.

Page

step 1

step 2

step 3

step 4

step 5

step 6

4-7

8-9

10-11

12-15

16

17-19


Step 1 - Build the case, advocate and recruit partners

What’s the problem?

Successive British Crime Surveys reported 1 in 3 adultsconsider teenagers hanging around the streets as a 'significant

problem'. And MORI have found that 4 out 5 of us, including teenagersthemselves, worry about crime and disorder by groups of young people.

The irony is that young people are more likely to be victims of crimerather than perpetrators.

A group of young people hanging out together is often regarded withsuspicion and, rightly or wrongly, can intimidate people. It is seen as aproblem to solve rather than a need to cater for and whilst under 12'sare well catered for by their communities 12-16 year olds are not.

Young people will get together in places and at times to suit them. Theymature by socialising and learning to relate to each other away fromdirect adult supervision. If they have nowhere of their own to meet, theywill adopt familiar and accessible places designed for others withinevitable results.

What’s the solution?

Responsible and caring communities are beginning to cater for thisincreasingly demanding yet vulnerable and impressionable group byproviding for their basic, social need of “a safe place of our own to meet friends”.

Purpose-built, heavy duty, outdoor seating, generally referred to as youthshelters, are increasingly being asked for by teenagers and provided bythe communities of which they are part to cater for this need and tacklethe issue 'head on'.

Youth shelters are inclusive and designed specifically to attract andwithstand the attention of ALL 12-16 year olds. They can work well ontheir own. Alternatively, they can be used to extend the communitybenefit of the often substantial investment in active play and sportsfacilities which cater only for those willing and able to take part.

step 1





5

How do we pay for it?

In our experience, effective fundraising begins close to home with thoseorganisations who have an understanding of and a responsibility for theissues the community is addressing. A matched funding arrangement alsohelps to 'sharpen' the commitment and speed of response of partners.

If you need to approach more remote funding bodies remember that, asthey are 'one-off' capital investments, tangible and have immediateimpact, youth shelter projects are ideal vehicles for grant applications,particularly in comparison to 'people based' provision that is dependenton continued funding year after year.

What is the core argument for a youth shelter?

Providing an 'always open' youth shelter is a fast and highly visibledemonstration of a commitment to include and cater for the needs ofyoung people. This contrasts with the perception of many young peoplethat everyone else sees them as a problem to solve.

Police and Government agree that by drawing young people away from theunsuitable places they meet now, youth shelters remove opportunities tooffend so reducing fear and incidence of crime and anti-social behaviourand improving community safety and cohesion.

They demonstrate a community's pro-active approach and determinationto tackle anti-social behaviour in all it's forms and enable youth servicesand other agencies to locate, identify and connect with local youth, buildrelationships and influence their behaviour.

Youth shelters are inclusive. They extend the community benefit ofexisting or planned investment in active teenage facilities such as skateparks, wheeled sports areas and ball courts by including by association'hard to reach' groups that are either unwilling or unable to take part informal youth schemes or sports. These groups can include girls,disaffected young people and young people with disabilities and healthand development issues.

They provide opportunities for 12-16 year olds to socialise and learn torelate to each other. Psychologists recommend that these basic life skillsare learned as early as possible to better prepare young people for thetime they have total independence and freedom.

A youth shelter is a 'one-off' investment making a lifetime and fulltimecontribution to community safety. There are no employment issues orcosts to manage as they are unsupervised facilities. And with a lifetime'ownership strategy' (see Step 5), the beneficial effect can be extendedwell beyond this year's youth group.




Who should lead the debate?

Youth shelters provide a focal point around which to build a localpartnership, supported by a youth shelter specialist such as rekk, and thisapproach is strongly recommended throughout planning, consultationand delivery.

However, this process has to be led. The lead partner is often the localCouncil as they will generally provide the land and adopt responsibility forthe youth shelter once installed. The lead partner should identify all localstakeholders, advocate a clear and reasoned case for a youth shelter,present the benefits to each stakeholder group and the community as awhole and build a partnership to fund and make it happen.

What about those that say “Teenagers don't deserve anything”?

Doing nothing costs money too.

The lead partner should make a strong rebuttal of the 'do nothing'argument. If no action is taken, the inevitable result is that the behavioursthat prompted consideration of youth shelters in the first place willcontinue. Eventually, the question will become “when” not “if” to havea youth shelter.

The full community cost of lack of provision for young people can include:

Education - reduced performance, exclusion of offenders,truancy, early leavers

Housing - nuisance complaints, ball games, damage tocommon areas and garages

Leisure - damage to play equipment, toddlers unable touse, litter and graffiti

Local Authority - complaints about what they have done andwhat they have not done

Police - prosecutions, patrols, responses, investigations,dispersals, poor youth relationships

Residents - fear, intimidation, harrassment, noise, litter, ballgames, damage and reduced quality of life

Retailers - loss of business, litter, graffiti, damage andnuisance

Transport operators - damage to passenger shelters, graffiti and litter

Parish Council - community complaints and damage to VillageHall, noise, litter and graffiti




7

What arguments are likely to be made?

The 6 most common objections are summarised below with examples ofhow a partnership approach can help to deal with them:

The shelter may become a focal point for the taking and trading ofdrugs, alcohol and other substance abuse

Police confirm that youth shelters do not increase the community widelevel of offending whether anti-social behaviour, noise, litter, under-agedrinking, substance abuse or vandalism. Youth shelters attract youngpeople and all the behaviours they normally exhibit. As a result, theyfocus a higher proportion of those behaviours into a specific location andthe intensity and frequency can appear to increase in the short term. Butthis outcome also provides the opportunity for local agencies and thecommunity to manage and influence these behaviours more effectively.

Litter may increase in the area of the shelter and the approaches to it

Councils and Police report net cost savings on litter collection as littertends to be focused in one area and cheaper to clear up even when thefrequency of 'clean ups' are increased. Youth shelters are consideredrecreational seating, not active play equipment, so there is no requiredstandard for surfacing. Where budget and space allows, a concrete ortarmac surface and connections to existing or planned pathways willencourage use in all weathers and enable effective litter collection andgrounds maintenance.

Noise associated with groups of 12-16 year olds getting togethermay annoy local residents

A youth shelter with a vertical roof design will act as a noise 'break' iforientated away from housing. And creative landscape design usingnatural topography and hedges can also reduce noise pollution.

Individuals may take advantage of badly designed and locatedshelters to intimidate and bully others

Design and location should ensure that young people can see and beseen whenever they choose to meet. Issues can arise where shelters areplaced out of sight or are too enclosed so the occupants and theiractivities are concealed. Care should be taken that the chosen designoffers open access and egress both for safety purposes and to encourageuse by people of all abilities including those in wheelchairs.

Poorly located or designed youth shelters may become redundantand targets for vandalism, arson and graffiti

Inaccessible locations will be ignored by young people and, like emptybuildings, unused youth shelters can become targets for vandalism andother anti-social behaviour. Youth shelters designed to compete andplaced in accessible locations will be popular. Ownership strategies andpartner support will build respect and avoid excessive mistreatment.Youth shelters should be constructed to attract and withstand theattention of 12-16 year olds. No part of the youth shelter should becapable of being cut or burnt.

Gangs can dominate the shelter to the exclusion of others

Considerate location needs to take account of any existing territories. Evenwhere these situations exist, they change quickly as young people grow upand the location debate is a good opportunity to check the position. A neutral location that is accessible and open to community surveillancesupported by partner activity will avoid domination by any one group.



Step 2 - Propose an accessible, convenient, familiar and visible location

Where is best?

Location is the most emotive of the “6 steps”. Options arealways limited. Every location decision will be a compromise and will

be contentious. This step is designed to help you choose betweenalternatives and enable you to support your recommendation withestablished 'best practice' principles.

Location is vital to attracting young people away from the places theymeet now. Get it wrong and teenagers will continue to meet in theunsuitable and unsociable places they always have done with inevitableresults. Money and time will be wasted and all those with raisedexpectations of 'something being done' will be disappointed.

The location needs to be accessible, convenient, familiarand visible

The ideal location will be within safe and easy walking distance fromwhere young people meet now. Where possible, select a location in thevicinity of active sport facilities for teenagers such as ball courts, skateparks or wheeled sports areas. This helps gain residential support as thosemost directly affected already accept teenage activity in that area.

Young people need to feel safe and to see and be seen whenever theychoose to meet. If your preferred location has little or no ambient lightingthey will return to the unsuitable places they meet now after dark.

step 2



Step 2 - Propose an accessible, convenient, familiar and visible location

9

To decide the best location consider:

1. How easy is it to survey the location from road, path or housing?

2. Is there sufficient ambient lighting at the location to enable youngpeople to see and be seen?

3. Is the location in a 'no go' area dominated by one group where otherswould not be welcome?

4. Are there any active sport facilities for teenagers existing or plannedin this area?

To determine the position and orientation consider:

1. To see, use existing street, car park or floodlighting or choose youthshelter designs offering integral solar powered safety lighting.

2. To be seen, choose relatively 'open' youth shelter designs positionedand orientated so that it can be surveyed from roads or pathways.

3. Turn youth shelters with 'vertical' roofing into prevailing winds or'open' aspects to improve weather protection.

4. Use existing hard bases (or provide new) such as concrete or tarmacto increase popularity in all weathers and avoid embedded glass,sharp objects and other maintenance issues.

5. Use made up footpaths (or provide new) to lead to or nearby theyouth shelter to increase usage at all times of the year.

6. Utilise natural features in the landscape such as hills, bushes and treesto further protect young people from the weather and/or providesound insulation for nearby homes.

7. A southerly orientation will maximise sun (and operation of solarsafety lighting where applicable). A northerly orientation willmaximise shade.

Will we need planning permission?

If the land is owned by the Local Authority then the works are classifiedas General Permitted Development and do not require planning consent.This rule is generally refined by requiring the land to be designated forleisure use and that the youth shelter is adopted by the Council formaintenance and insurance purposes.

However, if the youth shelter is being installed on a site where otherworks are planned which do require planning consent (eg a MUGA), it isgood practice to include the youth shelter in the plans. It associates theyouth shelter with other considerations in the area such as access paths,lighting and bins and protects the Council's interests by ensuring theconsultation process is complete.



Step 3 - Select youth shelter options that compete

How do we choose between youth shelters?

The objective is for young people to feel safe enough to wantto meet in their youth shelter. So successful youth shelter designs

have to attract - and withstand - the attention of 12-16 year olds andcompete with the places they meet now.

Protection from the weather, somewhere to sit and some form of lightingare the common characteristics of the popular 'hang outs' young peopleadopt as their own. But youth shelters are unsupervised facilities andreplicating these characteristics is not straightforward.

Our primary design objective is to ensure young people are safe. If they feelat risk from either location, enclosed design or more obvious dangers such assub-standard materials, traps and walk through hazards, they will abandonthe shelter and go back to those unsuitable places they meet in currently.

Young people need to see and be seen at the times they want to meet. Thismeans some form of lighting is an essential safety feature. To enable you tolocate the youth shelter in the best place, not just the most convenient, weoffered the first solar powered safety lighting in youth shelters.

Each rekk youth shelter design is available with optional C™ SOLAR safetylighting. Each unit is fully automatic generating in excess of 22 LUX at seatlevel and installed securely as an integral part of the structure, not avulnerable add-on.

step 3


Step 3 - Select youth shelter options that compete


Safety has to be designed in and tackle the inherent conflict in safe youthshelter design between 'shelter' and 'surveillance'.

Without sufficient weather protection, the youth shelter will be used onlya fraction of the time. But if young people cannot see and be seen theywill consider the youth shelter unsafe so a fully enclosed design is not anoption. Our rekk designs are substantial structures and provide variousdegrees of safe enclosure and weather protection whilst allowing youngpeople to come and go freely and be visible. And we've also engineeredour seat profiles to allow drainage, cleaning and maintenance yetdiscourage 'extended' stay, particularly rough sleepers.

As our designs have no horizontal roof surfaces to encourage climbing orjumping, you can rely on the designation of rekk youth shelters as'recreational seating' rather than 'active play equipment'. This means that'safety surfacing' standards do not apply and you can consider lowmaintenance surfaces such as concrete.

Even in the UK protection from the weather is not always required.Accordingly, our Nclude™ design offers additional, uncovered seating toextend the use and wider community value of the youth shelter. We also provide these as separate, standalone benches in either curvedor straight form.

As an 'always open', unsupervised facility, the choice of materials isimportant. Some teenagers will have nothing better to do than tamperand all rekk materials are resistant to common threats such as knives andnaked flames. And our stainless steel security fixings have CNC milled'Torx' heads that require a patent driver to remove them so ensuring theintegrity and safety of the structure.

All rekk youth shelters are constructed in 100% recyclable aluminiumthat provides you with a 100% NO RUST guarantee as aluminium cannot rust.

What if we want our own design?

Warning! Not all design ideas can be built at all. And some of those thatcan will be unstable or have inherent safety risks such as walkthroughhazards and limb traps.

Whilst a local youth group design competition may appear to buildownership, consider the negative impact on young people of beinginvited to design one thing and being provided with another.

A design competition also tends to fail on timing. The group that designthe structure frequently move on before their design is built and installedand the new group may feel no affinity with it at all.

With our modular youth shelter designs, we strongly recommendinvolving the youth group in an initial selection process rather than adesign process. Selection will guarantee young people get what they askfor, ensure product safety, reduce lead times and cost significantly lessmoney than a bespoke design.

11



Step 4 - Consult and engage with all local stakeholders

Who should we consult with and why?

It is important that all sections of the local community, not justthe young people, are aware of and have the opportunity to be

involved in the youth shelter project. Otherwise, you risk uninformed anddisaffected opinion and reaction after installation that will undermine thewider community safety benefits of the youth shelter.

The whole decision making process and the way the communityconsiders the proposals will send a clear message to all involved,particularly young people. Whatever the outcome, it must be made clearto them how the decision made supports the Council's overall objectiveto cater for young people. It is important they understand that theCouncil acts on behalf of the whole community - of which they are onepart - and that all interested parties have a right to be heard.

The lead partner should identify all local stakeholders and present themwith a concise summary of the case for youth shelters, a clearrecommendation, the names of supportive partners and the benefits toeach stakeholder group.

But beware! Consultation raises expectations that you will listen to everyview and act accordingly. Consequently, the process needs to be firmlymanaged. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and the right to voice it. Butto respect and balance the rights of the majority, limits have to beimposed on the length and frequency of contributions, especially inpublic meetings.

The lead partner has to make it clear they are recommending the youthshelter scheme and that they are consulting with all interested parties todevelop the best way to implement it. They must stress that the decisionwhether or not to proceed will be taken in the interests of the communityas a whole.

Concerns will be raised, particularly from residents living near theproposed location. However, it is reasonable for the whole community toexpect those choosing to live within sight and sound of public spaces toaccept and tolerate the noise and 'people traffic' associated with them.And there are many precedents for successfully promoting facilitiesneeded by the wider community but resisted at a very local level. Roadsand Airports are extreme but valid examples.

Councils should take the opportunity to reinforce with the stakeholdergroups on pages 13 & 14 the community objectives for playing fields,recreation grounds and public spaces and promote their intention toimprove community safety for all by increasing their utilisation andpopularity through youth shelter schemes.

To support your consultation process visit rekk.co.uk to request furthercopies of this guide and an information pack.

step 4




13

Young People

There is no more demanding or impatient group than 12-16 year olds. Ifthey haven't already asked for “somewhere to go” or “something to do”it is only a matter of time and local authorities and community groups willbe under increasing pressure to be seen to be doing something about it.

Increasingly, young people will ask specifically for a youth shelter becauseit meets their basic, social need of “our place for us to look after”. Ayouth shelter provides an opportunity for them to socialise and developsafely away from the direct supervision of adults.

A youth shelter project also provides them with a rare opportunity to 'getinvolved' rather than being collectively demonised as a 'problem to solve'.Support services can encourage engagement individually and collectively.Indeed, many argue that involving young people in this process is at leastas beneficial as the youth shelter itself in terms of changed attitudes andbehaviours. By becoming an active part of the community, young peopleare less likely to damage it or want to see it damaged.

All youth groups, however small and informal they are, should beencouraged to broaden their representation and put forward their viewssimply and clearly. This is exactly how most Councils and communitieswant their young people to behave and this provides a strong argumentin support of provision. However, many young people will feelunderstandably nervous about attending formal meetings. They mayrespond better to a youth worker or Councillor spending time with themacting on their behalf.

Examples of youth group and school based activities that can be used toinvolve young people in the selection and consultation process includeletters to sponsors and residents (English), data collection and evaluation(Maths), survey acceptable sites (Geography), scale drawings of layoutand design (Technical Drawing and Art) and work experience in localauthority planning and parks departments to shadow the proposal.

Councils and community groups

Councils and community groups benefit from youth shelter provision bybeing able to demonstrate to their 'constituents' their commitment tocater for an increasingly large and vocal section of the neighbourhood.In some smaller and rural areas a youth shelter project may be the firstand possibly only visible sign of communities catering for early teenagers.

Youth shelters are 'always open' capital investments, not revenueexpenditure. This is attractive to owners because, unlike 'people based'provision such as youth clubs, there is no recurring revenue commitmentso the damaging effects of having to withdraw provision are avoided.And as they are unsupervised facilities, employment issues and potentialliabilities are avoided too.




rekk youth shelters are 'low risk'. Classified as recreational seating ratherthan active play or sport equipment, they are not subject to the safetystandards that apply to playgrounds. Whilst our designs still comply withthe basic principles and avoid limb traps and walk-through hazards, apractical benefit of this classification is that Councils can utilise low-maintenance surfacing such as concrete or tarmac.

Evidence from Police Authorities has also shown that youth shelters actuallyreduce the recurring cost to a community of certain anti-social behaviours.For example, litter collections and clean up patrols become focused on onearea and take less time. And repair bills for damage to places teenagersused to meet such as toddler areas are reduced by up to 75%.

Adding a youth shelter alongside an existing 'active' sport or play facilityextends the community value of the whole area. By attracting youngpeople, a youth shelter encourages use not just of the active provisionequipment but also the playing fields, recreation grounds and greenspaces on which it is located.

Residents

Residents in areas blighted by groups of young people meeting inunsuitable places benefit by reduced noise and nuisance and improvedquality of life.

As visible structures, youth shelters reassure residents and meet theirexpectations of authority that 'something is being done'. Those close to theproposed location will also benefit from the increased investment and supportservices in the area which may include regular litter clearing, more frequentpolicing, higher visibility of community support officers, special constables andneighbourhood wardens and the active presence of other voluntary groups.

Parents amongst them will also benefit from a safe meeting place fortheir teenage children.




15

Youth services

Youth service outreach work is often constrained by lack of opportunityto identify and meet the rapidly changing target group. Youth sheltersattract a wide variety of young people and enable youth workers toidentify and engage with them, influence their behaviour and, whereappropriate, signpost them into other support networks.

Police

Youth shelters provide an effective and visible response to one of the keyissues that matter to people locally - teenagers with no particular placeto go. The actual incidence of crime is not what shapes the public's viewof how safe they feel. Statistics show that overall levels of recorded crimehave been falling since 1995. But the statistics do not take into accountthe day-to-day incidents that directly affect people's perception of crimelevels such as low-level disorder, intimidation and harassment.

Police also benefit by being able to locate and engage with the 12-16 agegroup, particularly those 'hard to reach' teenagers that are unable orunwilling to take part in formal youth schemes or active sport. And underthe anti-social behaviour legislation, a youth shelter also gives Police apractical and responsible option of somewhere safe and appropriate to'disperse' groups of young people to.

What about the rest of us?

The majority of the community is usually 'for' the youth shelter ratherthan 'against' and the opinions of those in favour should be heard andgiven equal attention. Everyone in the community has a 'vote' whetheror not they are directly affected by noise and nuisance now or living nextdoor to the proposed location. Actively canvassing opinion is anopportunity for the lead partner to involve residents who wouldotherwise be detached from the decision process and Council business ingeneral. The information collected in this way also helps demonstrate thelegitimacy of the lead partner's ultimate decision on behalf of thecommunity as a whole.



Step 5 - Develop a lifetime ownership strategy with the 12-16 age group

How do we build ownership with the youth group?

Youth shelters last. But the ownership benefits of involving young peoplein the initial selection process, however effective, decay over the first 12months as the composition of the target group changes.

To maximise the long term community benefit of the investment,understanding and awareness of the youth shelter needs to be extendedthrough ongoing consultation and involvement; in effect a 'lifetime'ownership strategy.

This can be done either directly or through youth service outreachworkers and will also ensure any grievances or concerns that may affectthe use of the shelter are shared and taken account of.

One increasingly popular technique to gaining all important localownership by young people is to run an art decoration project so theyouth group can make the youth shelter their own. This use of 'handson' graffiti art is often organised as a competition amongst local youthand supported by an artist. It actively involves young people indecorating their own youth shelter and reinforces the message to themthat this is 'our' place for 'us' to look after.

Images are often symbolic of local landmarks or the name of the park orlogos of sponsors and supporters in ‘graffiti text’. As part of the judging,the lead partner effectively authorises the outline design before it isapplied.

Vivid colours and imaginative designs are attractive to young people of allabilities and have the practical advantage of masking 'unwelcome' graffiti.

Graffiti text can also be used to promote a community message orperhaps signpost 'people based' youth services and support schemes.Using the vertical areas of the roof panels in rekk designs for webaddresses, telephone numbers and, in some areas, fly posting haveproved effective means of communicating directly to a 'hard to reach'target audience.

We also offer a vinyl 'template' option to illustrate shapes, symbols andletters. Young people literally place them on the roof panel and spraythrough them as many times and in as many colours as you wish. Thistechnique works best with text, for example, a park or place name andindividual letters are cut in the font and size required. It can also be usedto reproduce outline caricatures of images, logos and landmarks.

Whatever 'graffiti art' approach you choose to take, the exercise - andthe beneficial effect - can be repeated as part of a 'lifetime' ownershipstrategy, to buy in new youngsters entering the target group by age orrelocation.

step 5



Step 6 - Co-ordinate provision with partner support

17

How does the partnership best support the project?

A partnership approach is the most effective means of delivering asuccessful youth shelter project. It also provides the best response to anyobjections both before and after installation.

The most vocal objections tend to come from individuals - not groups -who perceive the net result of a youth shelter will make them personallyworse off. These individuals will generally live near the proposed locationand will be in a minority compared to the community as a whole. Butthey will be the most motivated to argue against (1) any youth shelterscheme or (2) one in it's proposed location.

Showing partner support and deploying partner resources and services,especially in the months immediately following installation, is proven toappease and reassure concerned individuals quickly and effectively. Suchactions also demonstrate to all residents that their quality of life is valuedand respected too.

Examples of effective partner support include arranging increased Policevisibility, often from a zero base, increased youth service outreachsupport, integration with neighbourhood wardens schemes, extension ofcommunity support officers presence and increased and more regularlitter clean ups, graffiti removal and site maintenance.

Whilst a youth shelter is itself a visible demonstration of positivecommunity action, many partners use local media to publicise theirinvolvement. There is general interest in 'photo-led' activities, particularlythose concerning young people, and coverage of an 'opening event'communicates the fact that 'something is being done' to a wideraudience.

step 6

Dave Henrys Photography by permissionof Buckingham Palace Press Office




To support the '6 steps' our customers have chosen to include rekk intheir partnership. The due process and time that can be required to makeany youth shelter project happen is significant and, as the UK's only youthshelter specialist company, rekk are ideally placed to help, both in termsof support and product delivery.

But don’t take our word for it…..

Gary Pate, Lancashire Young Peoples Service, says “I have looked atmany youth shelter designs in many places over the years and withoutdoubt the Nclude™ is the best I have found. Our installation wasprofessional with no messing around and I found rekk to be most helpful.I have already recommended them to other community groups looking atyouth shelters”

Zoë Sewter, South Derbyshire District Council, says “We have beenvery pleased with the efficiency of service, the quality of the product, thecompetence of the installation team and the diligence of the after-salesservice. The shelters are well-liked by the young people”

Julie Betts, Bromham Parish Council, says “rekk were very efficient, Iwouldn't hesitate to recommend them”

Councillor Kris Denman, Ranskill Parish Council, says, “Your companyhas dealt with us in a highly professional manner and I'm sure I can speakfor the Council when I say we would not hesitate to recommend you”

Councillor Rick Bolger, Chineham Parish Council, says “rekk provideda great service and the youth shelter has done exactly what we wanted.The kids can hang out and yet still be safely observed, even in theevenings”

Councillor Lynda Murphy, Litlington Parish Council, says “From startto finish of our youth shelter project, rekk proved invaluable, helpful andprofessional. The shelter appeals to our young people and the solarlighting appeals to our environmentalists”

Rob Chappell, Pinehurst Initiative, says “The idea of a rekk shelteropened up a conversation between age groups and agencies. Our youngpeople are getting the sense that they matter and are being listened to”

Councillor Tom Green, Laleston Community Council, says “TheNclude™ we went to see was fantastic. When we arrived at the park itwas full of teenagers and they all thought it was really cool. It was allmetal - very sound construction - and looked great”

With over 40,000 copies in circulation, the '6 steps' guide is well regarded too…

Roger Davis, The Playing Field, says “The guide is helpful and givesgreat encouragement and confidence to Councils wanting to dosomething constructive for their young people”

Roger Hampshire, Thames Valley Police, says “I have seen countlessexamples of youth shelters that work brilliantly and a few that are acomplete waste of time and money. This guide summarises the essential“do's” and “don'ts” and will help you build a strong local case and getthe most out of them”

Jane Dudley, Swindon Borough Council, says “If I'd have hadsomething like the '6 steps' guide 5 years ago getting our first youthshelter installed would have been a lot easier and quicker!”


And when a decision to go ahead with a youth shelter project has beenmade our customers and the young people they represent are delightedwith the rekk products…

Richard Barnes, City Design Newcastle, says “I had never used theRekk products before but I am impressed and will certainly specify themfor other schemes”

Derek Everett, Old Stratford Parish Council, says “The rekk shelterhas been so successful we are considering another. I would recommendany community considering providing an area for youths to visit us”

Councillor Theo Hayward, Brackley Town Council, says “One of thereasons the young people chose the Nclude™ was because it is largeenough for more than one group of friends to use it at the same time.Now the shelter has been in place a year it’s popularity has proved theymade the right decision”

Callum (13), Brackley, says “Our Nclude™ keeps us dry and there arelights so we can see what we're doing. It's a place where we can meetup with our mates”

Jon (14), Brackley, says “It's good because it's out of the way of theshops so we don't annoy anyone when we meet there”

Nina Porter, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, says, “The rekkshelters were the most popular choice of shelter among the many youngpeople we consulted. Rekk subsequently provided an excellentinstallation service and the shelters have since proved popular and robustand we are very pleased with the choice”

Charlotte Fletcher, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, says“The young people chose the rekk shelter from a selection and it's beenwell received - and very well used!”

Lynn Clarke, St Helens Together, says “Because of the success of thefirst rekk youth shelter we have had a requests for others”

Derek Owen, Telford Borough Council, says “The rekk youth shelterhas been a resounding success. And usage of the old ball court nearbyhas increased so much that the Council are planning to redevelop it”

Sarah George, Newington Parish Council, says “Thanks to rekk, ouryoung people now have some place to call their own. They are no longerhanging around the streets, making a nuisance of themselves with thelocal residents”

Ann Bolt, Turners Hill Parish Council, says “Our rekk shelter has beena great success. It's used by families during the day and youngsters atnight. It's brilliant!”



19

rekk Limitedrekk House 8 Belfry Way Edwalton NOTTINGHAM NG12 4FA

Company number 4350020 VAT number 796668058


Teenagers...here or where?

Visit rekk.co.uk for your

FREE GUIDEand information pack

Teenagers will get together outside. If they have nowhere of their own to

meet they will adopt somewheredesigned for others with inevitable

results. Our youth shelters provide aplace for 12-16 year olds to socialise

and learn to relate to each other.

100% rust free | socially responsible youth shelters | 100% recyclable



Documents

Rekk 6 Steps Booklet 3 - rekk Youth Shelters · 6 steps to a successful youth shelter Teenagers – Here or Where? ... mature by socialising and learning to relate to each other away