Police and Afghan Youth Camp
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Overview
A three day camp for NSW Police and young Afghan community members was held at Broken Bay in 2008 to help establish trust and understanding between the two groups.
What were the aims of the project?
The project aimed to provide an opportunity for NSW Police and Afghan Youth to interact, strengthen their relationships and help dispel negative perceptions.
The program also aimed to bring about an ongoing relationship between Police and the Muslim Community and to develop a network for future projects.
What was involved?
In partnership with the Baulkham Hills, Holroyd and Parramatta Migrant Resource Centre (MRC), 44 youth were recruited from the Afghan community to join the camp. This involved advertising with the MRC, Afghan Community Organisations, Local High Schools and Afghan Media.
A steering committee planned camp activities, which included sport, group discussion, crime prevention workshops and other leisure activities.
Prior to the camp, cross-cultural awareness workshops on Muslim culture were held for police at the Parramatta Local Area Command (LAC). The workshops aimed to increase understanding of the community.
The project was funded by the Australian Human Rights Commission (formerly the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission) and the Australian Multicultural Foundation under the Community Policing Partnership Project.
Who participated?
The three day two night camp attracted 44 Afghan Youth. This included 30 boys and 14 girls, from 14 to 20 years old. Six Police Officers, four Ethnic Community Liaison Officer's, two Afghan community workers and two Afghan community volunteers also participated.
The camp included crime prevention workshops on topics like drugs and alcohol, interacting with police, public space and crime and consequences.
Activities also included archery, rock climbing, volleyball and swimming.
What were the outcomes?
The close interaction between police and Afghan youth during the three day camp developed friendship and understanding of each other and helped eliminate negative perceptions.
This friendship continued after the camp and the young people are now more confident to speak and interact with police officers. The camp also improved police officers’ knowledge of Afghan community.
Where can I get more information?
Further information on this project is available.
Sophia Spyrou
Multicultural Community Liaison Officer
Email: spyr1sop@police.nsw.gov.au
Telephone: 02 9633 0635
Clorinda Lee
Multicultural Community Liaison Officer
Email: lee1siu@police.nsw.gov.au
Telephone: 02 9633 0749
See also: Community Policing Partnership Project