Blockbusters style game helping young people discuss crime and rights

Published: 24 September, 2010
by PETER GRUNER

A QUIZ based on the 1980s television game show Blockbusters has had remarkable success in getting young people in Islington to open up and talk about attitudes to crime.

Clive Tachie, an outreach worker at City YMCA, told an Islington Community Safety Board meeting that the game had inspired young people to talk about their fears where normal group discussions had failed.

In the new version of the TV show hosted by Bob Holness, two teams compete to spell words and abbreviations across a large board and then discuss what the answers mean.

“The game has made a big difference to the responses we get from young people,” said Mr Tachie. “Normally we’d have a group and ask them about their views on crime. Some just didn’t want to talk. I suppose it might have reminded them of school. But with the game the majority wanted to take part.”

The young people were asked what the abbreviation DZ meant in relation to police asking groups of people to move on when there is a fear of crime. “The answer is a dispersal zone,” said Mr Tachie. “We’d then all discuss what a dispersal zone means and what rights people have when asked to move on.

“Someone might spell Dangerous Dogs Act. That might inspire discussions on why so many young men need to have aggressive-looking dogs on leads. There would also be questions on guns, knives and drugs.

“It’s a fun thing but at the same time the young people are learning about their rights as individuals and the rights of society not to have crime on their doorstep.”

Mr Tachie and two colleagues, Maxine Aderina and Bijal Chandavai, worked in Bunhill and Holloway areas for six months on the scheme. They visited five youth clubs and met 427 young people.

A report by the team is due out next year.