Raising awareness
Many PLE projects aim to raise people's awareness of the law and their rights, and how the law can help resolve disputes. Raising awareness is an important first step, and most projects will also provide a guide to action – usually signposting clients to more detailed information or to sources of further help and advice.
Awareness-raising campaigns may also be focused on a particular change in the law, such as the government's public awareness campaign on tax self-assessment, or they may be aimed at dealing with common misconceptions.
Increased awareness means:
- people are better equipped to avoid problems and disputes; and
- they can take early action to stop a problem escalating into a larger and more serious issue.
Good examples of awareness-raising projects are those engaged with law-related education in schools, such as the Citizenship Foundation's Law in Schools project, or the Voices from the Street project developed by the Consortium for Street Children.
