- “The Secret Club” is a story for schoolchildren from 6 to 8 years old to teach children to detect situations of violence
- This new activity of the National Police to create safe environments in childhood has already been developed in 192 schools of the Community of Madrid in this course
- School talks under the Master Plan are already close to 90% of the target of 11,000 set by the Government Delegation at the beginning of the academic year
The government delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín Aguirre, participated this morning in the activity “The Club of Secrets” at the Federico Rubio Public School of the capital, aimed at schoolchildren of the first cycle of primary education, from 6 to 8 years. Representatives of the National Police and the Ministry of Education of the Community of Madrid have also been present in the development of this activity.
“The Secret Club” is a story specifically designed to be used in Primary Education schools by the Citizen Participation delegates of the National Police, in charge of imparting the activity. The aim of this story is to teach children to detect situations of violence, to express their discomfort and to understand that violence violates their fundamental rights. Dismantling their prejudices or fears to trust negative experiences in adults and fostering a positive early relationship with the police are key elements in preventing violence in and from school.
This activity, launched last academic year 2021-2022, is included in the project Protective Environments for Children, a project of the General Directorate of Police in collaboration with UNICEF Spain, whose objective is to develop initiatives to prevent violence, protect minors and create protective environments for children (spaces where children’s rights are respected and a protective environment is promoted at all levels: physical, psychological and social).
Despite the fact that it is a new activity, during the current academic year 2022-2023, 191 talks on the “Club of Secrets” have been held in those schools in the Community of Madrid that have requested it.
The Master Plan for School Safety will fully meet the objectives of the Delegation for this course
This project, which is in line with the objectives of the Law on Protection of Children against Violence, is also part of the Master Plan for Coexistence and Improvement of Security in Educational Centers and their Environments. A plan that the Government Delegation has promoted in the current school year to increase the sensitivity of children and adolescents to crucial issues that affect their security - youth gangs, drugs, internet risks, bullying, violence against women - and also to strengthen the knowledge and confidence of minors in the National Police and the Civil Guard.
In this regard, the target set by the Government Delegation for this school year, of exceeding 11,000 talks, will be well met at the end of the course: in the first and second quarters, more than 9,500 talks have already been given, which represents 87% of the total, in the absence of counting those that are being held in this third quarter.