Begin by asking your students to think of ways in which a map could help people analyze both the potential for safety and the possibility of violence within a designated area. Use a local map book or other resource to make and display a transparency map of your school community. Distribute individual copies as well. Explain that you will be using this map to pinpoint places that project safety and to highlight areas that promote violence. The challenge will be to identify, map, and describe those locations with the greatest potential for improving safety for youth in your community.
Children face a one in a million chance of being killed at school.
Violent crimes committed by juveniles peak at the close of the school day and decline throughout the evening hours. Young children, ages 6 through 11, are more likely to be victims of crime at the end of the school day than at any other time of the day. Local schools are a community's largest capital investment, yet schools in many communities are left unused up to 65 percent of the time. Explain that you will be using the school community map to expand the number of safe areas within the surrounding neighborhoods. Begin by locating and listing the places that are both safe and enjoyable.