Many young people enjoy fireworks, not only to look at them, but also to set them off. Alone or with friends. Whether that is allowed or not. That is why Bureau Halt provides information at schools just before New Year’s Eve.
Students from De Atlas in Emmen are also taught about fireworks. In different groups they listen to Talitha IJdens from Bureau Halt. “The most important thing is: young people do not always think carefully about the consequences of their behavior,” she says. “It’s about raising awareness. Fireworks are a lot of fun, but they also entail dangers and risks.”
The young people she has in class today are honest. Some of them admit that they already have fireworks at home or set them off on New Year’s Eve. But actually they are not allowed to light fireworks at all. “You can set off things that you can buy in the supermarket all year round in the supermarket, such as splash candles and ground fountains, from the age of twelve. The decorative fireworks that you can buy around New Year’s Eve can only be set off when you are sixteen.”
And these young people are not yet. But these students don’t like standing outside with a sparkling candle on New Year’s Eve as a 14-year-old. “That’s really boring,” he says. “It’s a shame, but they are the rules,” says Casper, who honestly admits that he does not adhere to those rules. “I buy it at different places or through friends.” Still, he learned something from the lesson. “That I have to pay close attention to bystanders, that everyone keeps a distance. And I make sure that there are no police around the corner.”
The latter is wise, because if you are caught with fireworks that you are not allowed to light, you will be referred to Bureau Halt. Last year, more than 1,100 young people were referred nationally for alternative punishment. Yet that prospect does not stop these young people from setting off fireworks.
“I understand that they find it boring that they are not allowed to light fireworks,” says IJdens. “I also understand that they think that is a shame, but there is a lot of experimentation with fireworks. There are many underage victims, there is a reason for those rules.”
Some young people just keep lighting fireworks, even though that is not allowed. “I also have no illusion that young people will no longer light fireworks. But I hope for some awareness. That we can teach them that there are consequences, including criminal law. And that they keep my tips in mind when they light fireworks to keep it as safe as possible.”