Writing in a blog for CYP Now, Paul Oginsky, chief executive at youth mutual Vibe UK, says that increased access to youth services for vulnerable young people should be made available in order to “reduce conflict and violence”.
The former adviser to then Prime Minister David Cameron notes that forming strong bonds with youth workers can help nurture a young person’s emotional intelligence and reduce their likelihood to become involved in violent crime.
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Full blog: Why using relationships to build emotional intelligence in young people will reduce knife crime
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“Emotional intelligence is a vital trait because it provides the ability to understand, use, and manage one’s own emotions in positive ways to empathise with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict,” Oginsky says.
He adds that a young person who has been encouraged to boost their emotional intelligence is likely to consider the impact of any involvement in knife crime on their family, peers and support network, including their youth worker.
“Their thought process is likely to first involve consideration of their own beliefs and values, and what the personal repercussions of using said weapon would be. They’d then likely consider what the outcome of such an attack would have on the victim and their families, and then perhaps the wider community of which they feel a part.
“For example, 'what would my youth worker think of this decision?’ These are all considerations which occur when someone feels connected to both themselves and others,” he adds.
”Young people are not aliens - like all of us they need to build relationships in their lives.”
