Nexus has launched a pilot project with Girlguiding to promote railway safety on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
The initiative saw Nexus, which owns and manages Metro, team up with Girlguiding’s 1st Forest Hall Guides in North Tyneside to teach them key transport safety messages.
Nexus has introduced its own Travel Safe Guide Badge, which the 10 to 16 year-olds are now working towards.
Nexus hopes that if the project is successful in Forest Hall then other Girlguiding groups locally, and even nationally, will consider taking part. There has already been interest from other Girlguiding groups in the area.
The aim of the badge is not only to promote Metro safety, but also road safety, and to encourage young people to be confident and knowledgeable of the local public transport network.
The Guides have to complete a series of tasks, which include designing a railway safety poster and demonstrating that they can use the Metro map to complete a journey on the system.
They must also be able to identify the danger zones around a bus and draw their own storyboards to promote travel safety.
The Travel Safe Badge and activity sheets will be available to download from the Nexus website, nexus.org.uk, so that other Girlguiding groups can get involved.
Nexus Youth Liaison Officer, Rebecca Ditchburn, said: “This project gives us the chance to promote railway safety with young people and also help them to learn more about travelling safely on public transport.
“The Forest Hall Guides really got a lot from the safety presentation that we gave them. They will now put that into practice by working towards the Nexus Travel Safe Badge.
“We think that this will prove popular and would be keen to see other Girguiding groups get involved across the region. It’s a great way to educate young people about staying safe.
“The project could easily be adapted to roll out with other Girliguiding groups across the country. It’s an exciting idea.”
Leader of 1st Forest Hall Guides, Katrina Moffat, said: “Girlguiding is very much about helping girls to develop their independence skills and this challenge will give them the knowledge and confidence to use the Metro safely. It’s been great being able to develop such a fabulous resource with Nexus and I hope that lots of girls get the opportunity to take part in it.”