The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced that London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has invested £1.3 million in a new programme to provide 3,000 young people with positive opportunities after school - which evidence suggests is a high-risk period of becoming involved or being a victim of violence.
Today, the Mayor visited the Aspire Higher programme, delivered by The Safety Box, at Park View School in Tottenham. The programme, which delivers violence reduction workshops after school hours, also provides one-to-one mentoring and therapy for young people aged 11-18. The programme delivers workshops to address conflict resolution and teach practical skills to help safeguard young women and boys from exploitation and violence.
Figures show that violence was falling in London before the pandemic, and over the past year knife crime, youth violence and gun crime have come down further[1]. Whilst there has been a decline in overall homicides, the number of teenage homicides in London has increased. The Mayor is determined to drive down violence and is investing in and supporting London’s VRU in leading an approach that is focused on preventing violence happening in the first place.
Evidence shows that violence involving young people is most likely between 3pm and 10pm on a school day, and these hours are a lost opportunity in deterring young people from being exposed to criminal exploitation.[2]
The VRU has invested in 17 targeted projects that are working with young people after school and at weekends, to improve educational outcomes and reduce school exclusions, as well as to improve employability prospects and mental health and wellbeing.
The VRU’s Stronger Futures programme is delivering prevention and early intervention work with young people aged between 10-18 who may be at risk of violence, exploitation or grooming.
A strong focus of all projects is on mentoring, in recognition of the importance of a role model in a young person’s life. Youth workers are delivering one-to-one mentoring sessions with young people to focus on decision-making, conflict resolution and how to access positive opportunities.
The programme is also delivering dedicated, tailored support for young women and girls as research suggests the needs of young women are not always met in the same way as they are for boys.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am committed to tackling violence in our city and for City Hall to do all we can to help make communities safer. I set up London’s Violence Reduction Unit, England’s first, to lead an approach to tackling violence that is rooted in prevention and early intervention.
“We know that after school is a high-risk period for violence and that’s why it’s crucial that we invest in programmes like Stronger Futures to provide mentoring to support our young people and help them access positive opportunities where they live.”
Lib Peck, Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, said: “We passionately believe violence is preventable and not inevitable. London’s VRU is working to prevent violence from happening in the first place and we’re doing that by supporting young people through education, training, employment and investing in positive activities to help them thrive.
“We recognise the life-changing work that community-led organisations do to support young people who are at risk of violence. I’m really pleased to have visited the Aspire Higher programme in Tottenham, who we’ve funded to help work with young people and communities to give them the tools, resources and support to deliver change both now, and in the long-term.”
The VRU is working with delivery partners, Rocket Science and the Black Training Enterprise Group, who listened to community-led organisations to understand and remove the barriers to their applying for support.
Nathaniel Peat, CEO of The Safety Box, said: “We are delighted that London’s Violence Reduction Unit has supported this essential work to divert young people from a negative future, the impact of knife crime and exploitation. We are driven to provide early interventions, violence prevention and safeguarding programmes for young people so that they have a brighter future and so that they can ‘Aspire Higher’. The Safety Box is committed to fighting against this plague of violence sweeping across the capital and are grateful to the Mayor and the VRU for the support and funding to help us positively impact the lives of young boys and girls.”
Notes to editors
[1]
Under 25s knife crime (non-DA) down 48% compared to its peak in the twelve months to December 2017
Total knife crime resulting in injury was 36% lower than the peak recorded in twelve months to November 2017
Gun crime was 50% below the peak recorded in twelve months to July 2017
[2]
Evidence shows that the hours between 3pm and 10pm on a school day, are a lost opportunity in deterring young people from being exposed to criminal exploitation. (A Public Health Approach to Serious Youth Violence: Supporting Evidence, October 2018, GLA Strategic Crime Analysis Team).