Chess as a community activity and outreach program to fight crime
- Various community outreach programs play an important role to reduce and to prevent crime and violence. Chess as a cost-efficient activity should form part of community programs.
Reading the daily news papers shows the magnitude of the various crimes such as
- murder, robbery, drug abuse, child & women abuse, elderly abuse, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, burglaries, vehicle theft, firearm offences, vandalism, high-tech crime and fraud. To understand crime one should understand the community and its dynamics. Is society the problem or is the way how the criminal thinks the problem? Is crime a behaviour which an individual chose to commit an unlawful act?
Research has indicated that people with physical and mental disabilities are at greater risk of being victims of violence, abuse, bullying and other criminal activities.
Community stakeholders
To effectively and efficiently reduce and prevent crime the various community stakeholders must take ownership and work in partnership in the fight against crime:
- The community
- Local businesses and NGO’s
- Local law enforcement agencies
- Local governments
Other factors that play an important role to reduce and prevent crime
- Education
- Employment
- Home security
- Health
- Welfare
- Economic policies
- Design and management of cities
- The handling of offenders and victims.
Support systems
How can we support our youth and help reduce and prevent crime? Many ways and means exist to support our youth positively, such as the following 6 core support systems which can play a crucial role in crime prevention, crime reduction and social upliftment:
- Families – as cohesive families we can build strong relationships with our children by loving, assisting and supporting them in a caring way. Parents can help their children to make informed choices about their education and careers.
- Schools and churches – schools and churches are the moral educational centres of a community and can help the youth to make informed choices about alternatives to conflict, crime, drugs, alcohol, violence and gangs!
- Role models – responsible role models can give direction to our youth in a positive way.
- The community – a community can provide affordable community activities which can prevent the youth participating in crime, eg. chess clubs at schools, libraries and other community centres where everybody can feel part of the community. These activities can help to decrease boredom, build t.e.a.m.work and social interaction.
- The environment – local governments must plan and create safe, secure, stable and healthy environments, eg. proper housing and living conditions.
- Prevention programs – special drug & alcohol abuse and violence & crime prevention programs can help to reduce and prevent crime.
Chess, as a recreational community activity and outreach program, can have a positive impact on the social conditions which sustain crime. With strong stakeholder partnerships we CAN win the fight against anti-social behaviour to create safe communities and build a strong and healthy youth. Bonhoeffer once said: ” The test of the morality of society is what it does for its children!”
Chess players have a crucial role to play in a community to fight crime. Keep our children from the streets, away from drugs, alcohol and other criminal activities. Assist them to become productive citizens! They are the future!
- Push chess pieces, not drugs!
- Think ahead, don’t shoot!
- Be someone, don’t be a loser!
- Sacrifice a Rook, not a life!
- Let’s play it out, not fight it out!
- Crime does not pay, but educating yourself does!
- Say no to drugs and gangs!
- Every choice has a consequence (s)!
- Bullying is not cool!
- Say no to crime!
- Think ahead, make a calculated choice!
- Choose order in the fight against crime!
- Don’t be a victim, stand your ground!
- Stop violence against women and children!
- Stop violence against the disabled!
- Stop violence against the elderly!
- Become someone of value!
- Set goals and use your time wisely!
- Be a strong pawn in the war against crime!
- Think ahead before you make a move!
- Respect yourself, respect others!
- Be an instrument in crime reduction and crime prevention!
Make your learners aware of the consequences of crime and to think ahead when they make choices in life – become a partner in social and community upliftment!
- A chess set in every classroom in every school in every community – a child who can’t pay must be able to play!