Stockport students gain confidence travelling by rail

Working with two Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) in Stockport - Crewe to Manchester and South East Manchester - plus Foundation 92, a Salford-based charity helping community groups through engagement, CrossCountry’s community engagement funding was provided to engage vulnerable young people, educating them more about the railway. 
 

The 15-week programme worked with Stockport College students with additional needs focussing on three key points when travelling on public transport, particularly rail. These were risk awareness, how to behave on and around the railway, and promoting sustainable travel. 
The group were able to visit Stockport station and interact with CrossCountry and Avanti West Coast staff. The session helped the students familiarise themselves with the station environment, understand the importance of buying a ticket and how to purchase one, who they should approach for help if they need it, and how to book assistance. It also covered the risks of the railway environment, for example keeping behind the yellow line when waiting on platforms. 
 

The sessions increased participants confidence with 76% of students saying they felt very confident in using public transport after the programme finished. When asked “do you understand what anti-social behaviour is”, 82% said “no” in the pre-survey, compared to 100% saying “yes” in the post-survey. Additionally, when asked “would you recommend the Youth Voice Travel Forum to other young people”, 100% of participants answered “yes”.
Zeta Jamieson, Lecturer at Stockport College said, “The sessions have been extremely beneficial to our students. Independent and safe travel is a key learning outcome for Stockport College, and it is clear to see that this project has helped steer this. The outcomes of the project will allow young people more independence as they navigate life after college, including supporting them with employment and social mobility outside of college”.