More than 1,600 Year Six pupils from schools across Crawley took part in this year’s Junior Citizen event, organised by Crawley Borough Council.

Now in its 34th year, Junior Citizen was held over two weeks at The Hawth, giving young people practical advice and skills to help them stay safe, make informed choices and prepare for becoming more independent.

This year’s sessions covered the transition from primary to secondary school, home fire safety, preparing for emergencies, spotting fake news, railway safety, the new food waste collections service, exploitation, hand hygiene, responsible water use and the dangers of becoming a money mule.

Partner organisations supporting this year’s event were Crawley Young Person’s Council, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, West Sussex County Council, Southeast Communities Rail Partnership, Sussex Police, Crawley Borough Council, Southern Water, SES Water and Barclays.
This year’s event was funded by Crawley Borough Council and Safer Crawley Partnership, with Southern Water and SES Water specifically funding the coach travel for schools.

The Mayor of Crawley attended one of the morning sessions, taking the opportunity to see the activities in action and meeting some of the organisations helping young people learn important life skills. Councillor Julian Charatan, Cabinet member for Public Protection and Chair of the Safer Crawley Partnership, also visited the event. Additionally, Councillor Nick Hilton, Cabinet member for Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change, went along to see first-hand how young people are learning about reducing and recycling food waste ahead of the launch of the council’s new food waste collections on Monday 28 September.