Too often we respond to a perceived crime wave with calls for tougher punishment, increased stop and searches, more police funding and crackdowns on drug trafficking. Yet young people continue to be drawn into conflicts that end in bloodshed.
By taking an holistic approach, we can improve the overall lives of the youths rather than using deterrents to try and reduce knife crime. Let’s focus on the route causes, such as wanting to belong to a group, fear of losing their life or having no support or guidance; so the only option they have is to look up to their elders and follow the same path.
Concept: ‘Opportunity’ focuses on improving the youths lives as a whole rather than just telling them to drop the knives. If we want to see change, then we need to change the youth’s reality and give them a more positive outlook and mindset on life because at the moment a lot of them have a sense of hopelessness and don’t even know if they’ll live through tomorrow.
By combining opportunities, weekly activities, tips for family and friends, knife free campaigns, recommended youth centres and remembering those we’ve lost. This well rounded approach to not only reduce knife crime and the stabbings within London, but will also improve the lives of the youths in the next generation and help to make a safer, happier community.
‘Opportunity’ brings together all key/relevant aspects to giving the youths of London a chance at a more positive life. If we target them at a young age starting from 12, we may be able to get them on the right path before it’s too late. As it is much harder to get an individual out of a gang/group once in it, than it is to prevent them from joining in the first place. We need to give them an alternative, more activities and opportunities in life to keep them of the streets.
Opportunity Application
The ‘Opportunity’ application would run alongside the editorial in the sense that the magazine will give a brief insight into what’s going on each week and if the youths wish to look into it further. They can download the app and find a range of opportunities across London via the link through Google maps.
The benefits of the application alongside the editorial:
• The community can upload opportunities, so can be updated by anyone. Whether that’s an individual, company, organization, school, youth centre or sports facility.
• A list of the boroughs within London and each individual youth centre within that borough so it’s easily accessible for the youths to find out what the opening times are and the regular activities that happen within the individual youth centre.
• Personal KnifeFree stories, that the youths, parents and friends can read so they are able to relate to the individual and understand that there are a lot of other people in a similar position to them. It’ll hopefully make the youths re-evaluate carrying a knife and whether it’s the best idea. These can be constantly update with new individuals and select few can then be chosen to appear in the ‘Opportunity’ editorial.