Late last year, we visited four local high schools to hear from young people about community safety. We asked how safe people felt in their neighbourhood and in the city centre and for suggestions to improve safety in the community.

64 young people participated in our workshops, thanks to all the students and staff who welcomed us into their schools and shared their ideas.

A snapshot of what we heard from young people

• Public spaces should have better lighting and visibility and maintenance. There should be access to shade and water and toilets in parks and recreational spaces.
• Public transport should be reliable, more frequent and have better connections. It should be cheaper, have safe entries/exits and have a security presence.
• Some believe a police presence improves safety while others thought police often targeted young people unfairly and created fear and intimidation.
• Aggressive behaviour and physical fighting in public spaces was a big concern as well as big groups gathering.
• Girls often felt unsafe where big groups of men or boys gathered, particularly in the evening. It is intimidating to be stared at, or have things yelled out at you.
• People under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be really intimidating. Vapes and tobacco shops created an unsafe vibe, and people shouldn’t be able to buy vapes so easily.
• There are lots of scams, and hacks on phones and personal devices. People are also concerned about their personal privacy being compromised through their devices or CCTV.
• Safety and the experience of safety was different for different people such as women, girls and gender diverse people; people with neurodivergence; rough sleepers and people from multicultural backgrounds. Safety experiences or safety concerns are linked to who they are, or how they present to the world.

Other interesting things we learned from young people

• Most people get their safety info from social media and would like to see short safety tips and tricks presented in engaging ways on these platforms.
• Most people who have experienced or witnessed a crime, don’t report it. They want to know different ways to report easily and safely.
• Creating vibrant spaces with activities, events, artworks would make public spaces feel safer.

There is lots of information on community safety, how to report crime, and programs and resources on our community safety page.(External link)

The feedback we received through this engagement will allow Council to better understand specific areas of concern for young people and develop a new Community Safety Plan that focuses on their current safety needs. If you want to know more, keep an eye on our engagement page.

During Youth Week 2021 we spoke to 200 students to find out their dreams for Wollongong. These voices will help inform our next Community Strategic Plan.(External link) We also spoke to lots of other people in our community. Here’s a summary of what we heard.

Thanks to all the young people who helped us create the new bike tracks(External link) at Dapto, Bulli, Fairy Meadow and Figtree.