What is the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Unity Promise?
According to the Office of National Statistics, Dorset remains in the top 10 safest areas in the country. BCP is a safe place to live, however tackling Violence Against Women and Girls remains a priority. All Women and Girls have the right to enjoy, and feel safe being out and about in Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole.
The Unity Promise is part of BCP’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls priority and is a partnership initiative created by BCP Council, Dorset Police, Bournemouth Business Improvement District, Bournemouth TownWatch and The Shores Sexual Assault Referral Centre. Its all about taking practical steps together to make our local area a great place for Women and Girls, and to set a unified stance on their safety, 24/7. Everyone should feel empowered to play their part in creating positive and lasting change. Whatever your size, shape or area of work, we encourage you to sign up and promise to be committed to the safety of Women and Girls.
Making the promise will give you access to our toolkit which is full of ideas, signposts and practical steps towards change. There will be some tasks you can complete today and some that may require additional resources. You will also be able to enrol onto our mandatory Unity Promise training, which is a 2-hour in-person interactive training session. The key objective of this training is to provide all signatories with the confidence in supporting the safety and experiences of Women and Girls. By referring to the toolkit, the training looks at good practice and aims to support people to take practical steps together to make a change.
What does it mean to make the promise?
The Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Unity Promise is a voluntary pledge to show your commitment to Women and Girls enjoying their time out and feeling safe in our communities. It’s a pledge to show you take Women and Girls’ safety seriously.
By making the promise, you show your acknowledgement of the current issue and that you’re ready to become proactive in improving Women and Girls’ experiences within your venue, building, organisation, or service. We’re building a strong network dedicated to making a positive change to Women and Girls’ experiences across our local area, day and night.
Whatever your organisation does for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, there will be something you can do to better support the safety and experiences of Women and Girls.
How to sign up?
To sign up to the Unity Promise, to enquire about training or to find out more, please email communitysafetybcp@bcpcouncil.gov.uk