The Royal Docks Learning and Activity Centre recently hosted a public conversation about youth safety in the the context of knife crime. Contributors to the discussion gave various explanations for the culture of violence among young people, before recommending a variety of responses.
Professor Lez Henry from the University of West London, spoke about his alienation from school as a pupil of Jamaican origin. “I loved education, but hated school”, he said. Lez talked about the level of discrimination he experienced, and how this contributed to the violence he was involved in after he was expelled from school. Eventually he turned himself around, through a combination of martial arts discipline and a love of literature.
Dr Andrew Branch from the University of East London warned that higher education is coming to resemble the two-tier system in secondary education, and this would only have the effect of disappointing and further alienating young people.
Frances Winter, an advisor to the Mayor of Newham’s Youth Safety Board, spoke about the progress being made in the borough while raising concerns about the high number of violent incidents and the subsequent effects on whole families as well as individual victims.
Criminology lecturer Anthony Gunter warned that youth violence has deeper roots than we are inclined to think. He also pointed out that the ‘public health’ model for fighting crime, as pioneered in Glasgow, needs everyone working together and loads of cash. Anthony went on to suggest that the media catalyse knife crime more than anything else, because young people end up competing to be front page in the attention economy.
The conversation concluded with contributions from Fight For Peace campaigners, Jacob and Kenny. They explained how their project combines boxing and martial arts with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities affected by crime, violence, and social exclusion.
The open debate was stimulated by free food and drink, courtesy of the Royal Docks Learning and Activity Centre.
“Leith & the docks” by M McBey is licensed under CC BY
