INNOVATIVE YOUTH PROJECT GETS UNDERWAY

An exciting and innovative youth project to bring young people together fromdifferent racial backgrounds is currently being piloted in Peterborough.

'Unity Challenge Week' is organised by the Peterborough City Council andinvolves young people from different areas of the city - including Dogsthorpe,Eastgate, Eastfield, Gladstone and Welland - to take part in a range ofchallenging activities.

Unity Challenge Week will feature 20 young people who will get involved in avariety of physically and mentally challenging activities. The action packedweek will take place at a range of locations within Peterborough and across thecounty. It will focus on young people from different backgrounds working veryclosely together in an effort to ensure that their team finishes first.

The Unity Challenge Week takes place on Monday, 29 July, to Friday, 2August and includes football, raft building, mountain biking, Kayaking,motorcross, pitch and putt and a barbecue. The special week aims to promote:

• greater mutual understanding and respect
• cross community youth interaction
• multi-racial and multi-area teams
• team work
• positive messages to other young people and adults
• a successful and fun experience for young people

Bob McGovern, Assistant Director for school improvement and lifelong learningfor the city council, said, "Young people have been eagerly looking forwardto the Unity Challenge Week which will hopefully provide an exciting programmeof activities which will be both demanding and fun. This special week is anexcellent piece of youth work which has brought young people from differentareas and racial backgrounds together. The project focuses on teamwork and willsee young people working very closely together over a very challengingweek."

He added, "I hope this project is a success and will allow us to developother youth projects to help unite young people across the city in a positiveand constructive manner."

Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Peterborough Racial Equality Council haveendorsed and welcomed this exciting project to bring communities together.

Harmesh Lakhanpaul, Peterborough Racial Equality Council, (PREC), said,"We wholeheartedly supports this initiative from Peterborough City Council.Unity Challenge Week is an exciting and important activities week for youngpeople of different ethnic backgrounds. It is a shining example of how youngpeople in Peterborough can play a key role in developing new values andcross-cultural contact. Young people are the future of Britain and their powerto break down barriers is crucial to build community cohesion in oursociety."

Chief Superintendent Mark Hopkins said, "This is a really positiveinitiative and one which receives the full endorsement of Peterborough Police.Projects which involve young people from all backgrounds coming together tolearn, have fun and build friendships is applauded and we wish Peterborough CityCouncil every success with the scheme."

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Media contact: Jennie Kendall, Principal Corporate Communications Officer on (01733) 452577.