CE Electric UK is partnering with SAFC Foundation, the charity registered to Sunderland AFC, to launch two brand new schemes, "Take care not risks" and "Kickstart".

Take care not risks

"Take care, not risks" delivers  safety awareness for children aged 10-11 in years 5 and 6 at primary schools who are at the critical age well known to lead into anti social behaviour.  This will be a six week programme that concentrates on self, attitudes, rules and responsibilities, citizenship, behaviours and electrical safety.  Each programme will consist of active sessions including workshop learning combined with practical football sessions.

Take Care Not Risks focuses on personal safety and well being, and advises youngsters on how to keep safe in their local area.  As well as improving their football skills, the two year project aims to raise awareness of young people to the potential dangers of entering electricity substations to retrieve footballs or getting too close to overhead power lines with fishing rod, kites etc.

During the sessions, topics such as road safety will be dealt with.  Youngsters will be given advice on where to play football safely and how to ride their bikes responsibly.  These issues tie in with teaching them that danger of death signs on electrical equipment really do mean what they say.

The programme will be initially delivered to children in primary schools aged nine to eleven in Sunderland, County Durham and South Tyneside.  The aim of our sponsorship is to engage young people in these areas and significantly reduce the level of vandalism.

Kickstart

The Kickstart programme uses two SAFC branded double decker buses - the Black Cats Express that have onboard 16 PCs, a variety of games and interactive software and a discussion space on lower deck - to engage young people into learning and sport.  There is a multi skilled staff team of ten within the project including youth and project workers, teachers and a specialist disability coach.  Kickstart delivers preventative work with seven to twelve year olds and has a special focus on inclusion work, tackling community issues with 12 to 19 year olds in particular.

Using the Black Cats Express, the programme will focus on teenagers particularly those involved in or with the potential to become involved in anti social behaviour including vandalism, in particular boys aged 12 to 15.

This will involve the bus going into targeted estates and skilled staff building relationships with young people, developing projects with them and consequently enabling them to develop themselves and their attitudes.

The outcomes for both programmes should be:

• Increased participation in community life
• Fewer young people involved in anti social behaviour i.e. vandalism
• Safer places to play and live
• Improved health and wellbeing
• Improved knowledge on safety issues