Blue Light ‘s mission to aid our youth

Blue Light

Blue Light is a registered charity that works nationwide in partnership with the police to deliver an extensive range of youth programmes and activities.

The goals of Blue Light are to:

• Reduce the incidence of young people becoming an offender or victim of crime • Encourage better relations between the Police, young people, their parents, and the community.

Blue Light aims to assist the Police to achieve its youth and community objectives by providing proactive initiatives to meet a key target market.

It does this by providing young people with positive lifestyle alternatives and strategies to avoid becoming an offender or victim of crime. Across New Zealand Blue Light works with its Blue Light branches to do a variety of community engagements.

The Blue Light Obstacle Course (BLOK) is the latest community engagement programme and is a giant inflatable obstacle course, 33 metres long, that has been designed for all primary school children, regardless of ability, to easily participate in physical activity and have fun while doing so!

Inflatables were originally developed for children experiencing disability as it offered a way for children to play physically without hurting themselves, and to provide an accessible range of activity for all children regardless of issues of coordination, weight, or fitness.

Once at the desired location, the obstacle course is inflated, set up and supervised

by Blue Light staff, local Police and Blue Light members.

This includes ensuring appropriate numbers of children are on the obstacle course at any one time, and that children are engaging in ‘safe’ and ‘appropriate’ activity when upon the course.

Alongside the physical activities, young people get to enjoy a BBQ lunch alongside Blue Light staff, local Police and Blue Light members.

Two Canterbury schools were selected for the BLOK visits and Southbrook School in Rangiora was thrilled to have this opportunity on 13th May this year.

Classes were put through the BLOK over the course of the day and more than 300 students aged 5-13 years got the opportunity to race each other, local Police officers, teachers and Blue Light volunteers. After running through the course several times, students got to hang out with local Police Officers who had prepared a BBQ. Students also got to look through a new Police patrol car, share some stickers and stories and kick a few balls around while enjoying our late summer weather.

A great day had by all – building trust and confidence in a fun environment with our tamariki – our future. Thank you to Blue Light and Southbrook School.

Safer communities together

Ken Terry

Senior Constable: School Community Officer Rangiora Police Station School Portal: schools.police.govt.nz