Time for action on youth violence

About Time for Action

In November 2008 the Mayor launched Time for Action – his plan to show young people that there are alternatives to dead end choices of crime and violence.

Time for Action contains the six key strands of work that the Mayor believes need to be addressed for genuine change to take place. Since the launch of Time for Action we have been developing the proposals and are now starting to contribute towards outcomes.

TIme for Action has six key areas of work which each have their own dedicated project.

• Project Daedalus - Reduce offending with a smarter approach to custody and enhanced resettlement.
• Project Brodie - Raise attainment and reduce the risk of offending by keeping young people in education.
• Mayor’s Scholars - Help young people in care to achieve their academic potential.
• Project Titan - Build character, self respect and responsibility.
• Project Oracle - Understanding and sharing what really works.
• Sport and Music for All - Give more young Londoners the opportunity to participate in high quality sport & cultural activities.

What we're doing in the meantime...

Time for Action is the Mayor's long term strategy to prevent and reduce youth violence in the capital. We also need to ensure our approach to the here and now is effective too and therefore the Mayor supports strong enforcement, especially for gun and knife crime.

Mentoring

We want to do more for young black boys, who we know are at greater risk of becoming involved in violence.A s part of Time for Action,  we are calling on black men to mentor black boys in their communities, helping them to improve their self-esteem, life choices and prospects.

We’re looking for real life experience rather than academic qualifications. The most important thing is that you can give someone time to listen and support them. Interested? Find out more about the Mayor's Mentoring programme

Giving young people access to wealth, rather than simply welfare

One of the most effective ways of keeping a young person out of trouble is through work - jobs give people a sense of responsibility and a sense of purpose.

We are putting pressure on employers and local authorities to take on more local young people, and especially more young offenders, to train them up and keep them out of trouble.

Girls and gangs

We have heard worrying anecdotal evidence over the past few years about the increasing numbers of young women committing, and being the victims of, youth violence.

There has been a recent rise in the number of young women being convicted of violent offences. What's more, we are concerned about the number of young women who are being raped and subjected to sexual violence as a result of gang activity.

We will provide young women support in coming forward and developing a number of initiatives to achieve tangible results.

Read our strategy for dealing with violence against women, The Way Forward.

Stopping young victims from becoming young offenders

There is a clear link between young victims of violent crime becoming offenders themselves. We aim to improve information sharing and coordination in this area in order to provide services that help break that link.

Addressing young offenders with mental health issues

According to the Office for National Statistics, approximately 40% of children and young people in contact with the youth justice system have a mental health problem, rising to more than 90% for those in custody.

Services vary across London for young offenders with mental health problems. We are keen to work with the NHS, boroughs and the Youth Justice Board to ensure services are appropriate for young Londoners in custody and continue when they are released, so they become less likely to re-offend.