The Beacon Project is a six week or 12 week (one day a week) programme designed to engage with primary and secondary young people aged 8 to 18
who meet any of the following criteria:
Referral Criteria
- In their transition to secondary school
- Experienced ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experience)
- Poor school attendance
- Displaying symptoms of someone exposed to trauma
- Involved in risk-taking behaviour, fire setting or becoming involved in ASB (anti-social behaviour)
- Young people socially excluded in less obvious ways are also eligible - young carers, young people with disabilities, looked after children, young people from minority ethnic backgrounds
Course Activities
- Practical Fire Service Activities (Hose Drills/Youth Breathing Apparatus/Hydrant Drills/Foam Making Equipment/Search & Rescue Techniques)
- Team-building, Energiser & Communication Tasks
- Community Safety Awareness (Safety in the Home/Fire Escape Plans/Arson/Bonfire & Fireworks Safety/ASB)
- First Aid, Health Awareness
- Child Exploitation/Healthy & Unhealthy Relationships
- Road Safety/Water Safety
- End of course “Pass Out” & certificate presentation (funders/family/school representative invited to attend)
Aim
- Provide safe, fun, enriching and unique experiences
- Giving students the opportunity to take part in an educational learning experience outside of the school or peer group environment
- We have created a therapeutic environment, with trauma-informed practices to promote engagement
- The course is delivered with the aim of encouraging self-development of the students by instilling fundamental Fire Service principles of self-discipline, leadership and teamwork
- To develop healthy relationships and growth mindset
- Improve personal, social and educational development
- To focus on prevention and early intervention
Objective
- To reduce the number of pupils being excluded from mainstream education, by proactive intervention and to contribute to improving school attendance
- Positive engagement with a uniformed service
- Engage and educate young people to create fire safe citizens with improved social and morally responsible behaviour
- Gain certification
Course Details
- The course can be facilitated at a number of fire stations, subject to availability and suitability
- The course starts at 10am and concludes at 2.30pm. Transport will be provided to pick up/drop off students from school. A packed lunch will be provided
- There is a maximum of 12 students per course, with a ratio of 2 instructors
- The course is currently funded by Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership, who select what schools are to take part in the Beacon Course further to data analysis
Who is this aimed at?
Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership selects which schools take part. Please enquire with your school to see if they run this project.
Where
Various Firestations across Merseyside
Contact details
Email: youthengagementteam@merseyfire.gov.uk
For further information
For more information about Merseyside Fire & Rescue search Merseyside Fire & Rescue in this directory.
Visit the Beacon Project page on Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service website
