For many young people, September means a new term at school or university. For university students, those first few weeks and months should be fun and exciting, and might be the first time they’ve moved to a new city or house. This exciting period of change can also bring new challenges around safety and responsibility. It is well known that young people (aged 16 - 24) are disproportionately more likely to be victims of crime. Despite this, statistics on campus crime are only patchily recorded by many UK universities and just a handful make the information available to would-be students. A recent article from UniFresher
explores the "top 10 most dangerous universities in the UK for 2023" and looks at which are the most reported crimes on campus/ in student accommodation. Have a look at our How students are affected by crime page to learn more. There’s plenty that young people can do to keep themselves safe and aware, and plenty that we can do as Neighbourhood Watch to help them stay safe and enjoy their time at university!
Our termly student magazine The Lookout is full of advice from other students, and provides a platform for young people’s voices to be heard. Keen to know what the NWN Youth Council have been getting up to? Look no further! Since the first Youth Council meeting in May, twenty 16-24- year-olds have been busy exploring, analysing, and problem-solving the community, crime, and safety issues that matter to them. From concerns around antisocial behaviour, grooming, shoplifting, safety at night, and hate crime, the Council is currently in the thick of actively influencing ‘on-the-ground' social change in communities across England and Wales, plus youth strategy within NWN.
If you want to find out more about the Youth Council or work on a community action project with them, email Ashley, our Young People’s Programme Manager: