Office of Justice Programs Office of Juvenile Justice and ...

1 Fromtheadministratorin actionShay BilchikAdministratorBULLETINNATIONALYOUT HNETWORK fromtheadministrator DEPARTMENTOFJUSTICE Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency PreventionJuly 1999 NUMBER 09 What Is a community Cleanup?A community cleanup brings volunteerstogether to clean, repair, and improve publicspaces or other areas (such as vacant lotsor abandoned properties) that have beenneglected, vandalized, or misused. Cleanupprojects can involve all kinds of publicspaces parks, riverbanks, schoolyards,sidewalks, playing fields, and even parkinglots, to name just a group of students in Brooklyn, NY, restoreda children s garden that had become overgrownand filled with trash and drug with older students, the city parksdepartment, and the Cooperative ExtensionService, the group members created a gardenand became involved in the cycle of plantingand harvesting.

2 The garden is flourishing againbecause of their Does a CommunityCleanup Do To PreventCrime?Cleanups show that people who usean area care about its is less likely to occur when aCommunity Cleanupneighborhood is clean, well lighted, and usedfrequently by residents and their friends. Byreclaiming an abandoned park or playground,eliminating tall weeds and debris from a vacantlot, or sprucing up sidewalks and public spacesalong the street, you ll be making the territoryless attractive to criminals and more attractiveto the community , which makes the Does It Take To Start aCommunity Cleanup?

3 A good first step is to look around at areas thatneed attention. Is a community park littered?Is an empty lot filled with tires, constructionmaterials, and overgrown bushes? Is a nearbyCommunity CleanupEvery community hasareas public parks, schoolyards,sidewalks that are neglected, vandalized,or just plain run down. You can help clean up thoseplaces by getting involved in a community cleanupproject. As explained in this Bulletin, a communitycleanup is a project in which volunteers of all ages worktogether mowing grass, picking up trash, hauling awayequipment, etc. to spruce up a chosen site.

4 By playingyour part in cleaning up your community , you willhelp make it more attractive to residents and less attractive to criminals!2stream an eyesore that discourages people fromenjoying it?Look at the people in your group. What skillsdo they have? Picking up trash and mowinggrass require one level of skills; hauling hugehunks of concrete or using chainsaws to cut uplumber calls for another. Helping hands arethe most important ingredient for a successfuloutcome; many of the materials and servicesneeded can be donated by local businessesand governments, even for a major partnerships.

5 Joining up with anotherneighborhood or community group can buildyour group s credibility and provide more helpto get the work done. Environmental groups,civic associations, the local recreation andparks department, business associations,service clubs, and religious and social groupsmay be able to help or suggest other the proposed cleanup site is privately owned,you will need to get written permission fromthe owner. You may have to check local landrecords to identify the owner. For a public site,contact local government agencies, such asthe permits and licenses Office or the policedepartment, to find out what permits may beneeded, what guidelines exist, and what kindof help is available.

6 Special trash pickup, trashbags, and work gloves may be yours for the site, establish goals for thecleanup. Will all the trash be picked up? Willnew trash cans be installed? Will fresh paintliven up the playground equipment? Do youneed to paint over graffiti? What about cuttingunderbrush, pruning bushes and trees, orplanting flowers?When you ve thought through what you want todo, make two lists: one itemizing the suppliesyou need for each task and the other showing theorder in which the tasks need to be instance, mowing grass next to a freshlypainted fence could blow grass onto the wetpaint, so plan to mow before painting.

7 Trimmingbushes or trees may call for special equipmentand the advice of an experienced about who can donate their know-how,lend equipment, or provide supplies at no up a subcommittee that will approach thesepeople to get them interested in your project;help them see how they ll help the communityby working with you. Don t forget to checkwith local civic associations and governmentagencies (such as the parks and sanitationdepartments).Check the site in advance for any hazards drug paraphernalia, poison ivy, thorny bushes,or glass and metal that could cut and harmvolunteers.

8 Make sure your group has theproper equipment and knowledge to deal withthese to recruit volunteers beyond your coregroup? Get the word out to other youth andadults. Use posters, fliers, and handouts. Asklocal radio stations to publicize your event atPlanning a Successful ProjectFor more information on how to plan a successfulproject, see the National Youth Network s Planning aSuccessful Crime Prevention Project. This 28-pageworkbook explains the five steps of the Success Cycle:uAssessing Your community s a Successful Up on Your , Monitoring, and workbook includes six worksheets for you to takenotes on.

9 You can get a copy of this planning workbookfrom the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, listed in theResources section. Good luck!3no charge; maybe a station will even send itscommunity service staff or a deejay on the dayof the cleanup. Be sure to tell people whentheir help will be needed and for how refreshments and make sure you havearranged for cleanup and trash disposal. Often,if you work with the sanitation department,arrangements can be made for special pickupsthroughout the day or for help with removinghazardous Does It Take To Keep aCommunity Cleanup Going?

10 A cleanup can be a one-time event. Theactivity can also continue by moving thecleanup from one location to another forexample, from the school playing field to aneighborhood park. Or, a specific site can be adopted and kept the work letting people do differentjobs that appeal to them makes each newcleanup a fresh opportunity for themes or bring-a-friend days canhelp liven up the sure your community cleanup goals arerealistic. It s a good idea to start with a projectthat can be accomplished in one afternoonand work up to larger projects. By cleaningup a park in a day, you will generate positivemomentum for the next your cleanup project is a one-timeevent or a year-long commitment, don t forgetto celebrate the results.