Youth Justice: Charity to run gang crime workshops
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Disadvantaged teenagers are to be given help to turn their backs on knife and gun crime.
Youth charity Fairbridge has landed £220,000 of funding to provide sessions on the reality of gang crime as part of a course for young people aged under 16.
The cash came from umbrella organisation London Councils to run sessions in the capital over the next four years.
The programme, called Is It Worth It?, will be launched in August and delivered by crime reduction charity Flipside. Young people will take part in a workshop to explore the consequences of their choices.
Gemma Clemson, operations manager at Fairbridge, said the workshop would not take a scaremongering approach but would help young people understand the consequences of getting involved in violent crime. The programme is voluntary, which means young people do not feel pressured to attend.
"A number of young people we work with have gang associations," she said. "This could be as victims or as perpetrators but either way it has a severe impact on their lives."
