The Gettin Dirty program - a partnership between Victoria Police, Hepburn Shire Council and Daylesford Secondary College - involves a group of year seven pupils participating in a seven-week program to clean up public spaces like Daylesfords Cornish Hill, public pool and skate park.

Youth Resource Officer at Moorabool Police, Leading Senior Constable Jim Ross, has run a similar program with around 486 students in Bacchus Marsh over a period of 10 years and said there had been a number of benefits.

The idea is to help the kids build skills in leadership, teamwork and break down any barriers that there are between police and young people, but the other benefit is to improve the teacher and student relationship, he said.

I tell them that I have only one rule and thats respect for each other, police and their teachers. Nobody is left out.

Leading Senior Constable Ross said he had noticed a number of benefits for Bacchus Marsh as a result of the program.

We reduced vandalism in Bacchus Marsh quite significantly. The graffiti and general vandalism reduced during that period, and thats not to say that the kids in the program were doing it, but they got to know the parks and gardens guys and would help them clean up the space.

"They knew the guys because they worked with them to plant trees around the park, which helped them to develop ownership over the space."

He said the community work the teenagers undertake during the program means they look at the public spaces around the shire with different eyes.

As they develop ownership, they learn to look after it. So when they see other kids being disrespectful, they call them out.

He said the program had an emphasis on team building exercises to promote working together towards a common goal.

Through working together to tackle challenges, the kids start to think about possible consequences of their decisions too. This is an important part of decision making.