Local students to cheer on safely street-crossing peers

Alexandra Kelly —

Student ambassadors at Northern Secondary School are taking a new angle when it comes to changing pedestrian behaviour. They will be applauding those who use the crosswalk. Students participating in Parachute’s Project Gearshift, a national teen driver safety campaign, will be encouraging youth to use crosswalks outside their high school. They will do this by ushering pedestrians across the road at rush hour, applauding their efforts. This guerilla marketing campaign uses positive reinforcement to raise awareness, with further messaging once the pedestrians have crossed the road.  Several weeks ago, the Northern students identified pedestrian safety as a critical issue in their busy neighbourhood, an issue which is tragically current.

Aligning with the back to school rush, Northern Secondary School students are committed to keeping their peers safe. This is an example of the peer leadership activities available on www.projectgearshift.ca, allowing students to take part in this national campaign. The activity, called Pause for Applause, will be taking place on Thursday morning, September 5, from 8:00-8:30.

Project Gearshift is a project of Parachute, a national injury-prevention organization. Project Gearshift aims to increase knowledge around teen driver issues while inspiring action and change. This fall, youth, teachers and community members are leading activities to create shifts in thinking and behaviour. Parachute will be hosting the first ever National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 20-26th, to raise awareness around the issue and increase national support. For more information, visit www.projectgearshift.ca.