The Jewish Chronicle

Streetwise celebrates a decade of support

January 4, 2016 10:47
David Delew and Lisa Ronson at the Streetwise 10th anniversary

ByAnonymous, Anonymous

1 min read

Streetwise held a reception to mark its tenth anniversary of providing personal safety and development programmes for tens of thousands of Jewish youth.

The 100 guests at the Hendon event included staff from some of the 55 schools which Streetwise works in across the UK. Speakers included JCoSS headteacher Patrick Moriarty, Robert Tomback, a Streetwise participant from 10 years ago - and current participant Rachel Cooklin.

In her address CST trustee Lisa Ronson spoke about the impact of Streetwise - a joint project by the CST and Maccabi GB - on the community's youth.

"Streetwise is about our children: each and every one of them. Our personal safety training to young people between the ages of 11 and 18 is free of charge, because everybody needs to know how to take care of themselves, how to keep themselves out of trouble and, with ever-changing technology and the ease of accessing the internet, how to develop as young adults and members of the Jewish community and society.

"That's why we call it 'Streetwise' - It does what it says on the tin and I think it really works."

Maccabi GB chairman David Pinnick said: "Streetwise has taken vital informal education into every classroom of every single Jewish school and Jewish society across the country."

Streetwise programmes deliver a variety of sessions and projects - including those on anti-bullying, antisemitism, sex and relationship education, internet safety and transition to secondary school - and, having engaged 20,000 young people over the past few years, Streetwise had a record-breaking year in 2015 delivering sessions to 22,000 young people.