The importance of staying safe has been the focus this week at Harrow College. Staying Safe Week is an annual week of events that highlights safety and the measures which students should be taking to ensure they stay safe – both inside and outside of college.
Fairs have taken place at both the Weald and Harrow on the Hill campus, providing students with lots of information relating to different safety topics including drinking safely, hate crime, bullying, sexual health, counselling and cybercrime. Representatives from the Metropolitan Police transport Safety Team were present to talk about staying safe while you travel such as keeping your valuables out of sight when on a bus or the tube, keeping your mobiles phones and tablets safe, and recognising licensed and unlicensed taxis.
The Harrow College Student Union took the opportunity to launch a campaign which saw lots of students signing their names to the anti-bullying pledge, aimed at encouraging students to say an absolute no to bullying and to not accept it in anyway.
Students from the colleges Skills Centre also attended Harrow Arts Centre where they watched a 'Safe Drive, Stay Alive' performance organised through Harrow Council. This was a thought provoking and emotional session involving representatives from all of the emergency services explaining what they do in the event of a car accident. Students also heard from those directly affected as a result of a car accident and the impact it has had on their lives.
Other events have included a live interactive session called 'Trap Queen' which saw a group of young women describe their experiences of being involved in gangs and how they turned their lives around. The week concluded with a talk called "Cyberspace – the new Battleground" by a local IT expert who spoke about the rise of internet crime and the steps we should all take to stay safe online.
The events this week were organised with the help of students and Harrow College Enrichment Coordinator Sandie Petrie. She said "Keeping our students safe is of upmost paramount. The annual Staying Safe Week brings safety to the forefront and allows us to engage with students in different ways. This week we've had fairs, talks, performances, interactive sessions and more which has raised awareness of safety issues and will hopefully help our student stay safe".