Young model citizens at Hackney Museum
Hackney Museum was transformed into a tube carriage as over 2000 children were given tips and advice to help them travel safely.
Pupils aged 10 and 11 from 58 Hackney schools took part in a number of interactive sessions aimed at helping them to become more independent as they prepare for the transition to secondary school.
Activities were brought to life with models and backdrops. Amongst other things the youngsters learnt about getting on and off a tube and crossing the road safely, bandaging, dealing with dogs, using Oyster cards and what to do and who to contact in case of an emergency.
It is important for us all to be aware of safety and to have respect for others when using public transport. The scheme is a great way to prepare young children for the real world and help them on their way to becoming responsible citizens.
Eleven year old Issac, a pupil at Simon Marks School, attended one of the sessions on 3 December. He said: “Today has shown me how diverse and interesting Hackney is and how important the people who work with the different services in Hackney are. Meeting them has been reassuring and I’ve learnt so much. It has given me a better picture of the challenges I might face during transition to secondary school, so informative.”
The scheme is coordinated and run by the Safety and Citizenship Team from London Transport Museum in partnership with Hackney Museum. As well as the Council's road safety team and Young Hackney, other orgainisations involved included British Red Cross, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Transport for London's Safety and Citizenship team, London Fire Brigade, police officers from the Safer Transport Team.
The event is part of the Hackney Junior Citizenship Scheme and it is open to all schools in the borough.