Fear and Fashion
This is a joint initiative between five funders: Trust for London, City Bridge Trust, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Wates Foundation and John Lyon's Charity. Its focus is on tackling the use of knives and other weapons by young people. Four organisations were funded to pilot different interventions to address this issue in two areas of London - Southwark & Lambeth, and North Westminster. The initiative is coming to an end and a report of the evaluation will be available. Learning for practitioners working with young people is shared through the Fear & Fashion website.
Aim
To develop projects working with young people and other agencies to tackle knife culture in order to reduce the use and carrying of knives and other weapons, and to provide positive alternatives and long-term change.
Objectives
- To bring together a package of interventions to raise awareness of the problem and of the consequences of carrying weapons.
- To provide alternatives to carrying weapons.
- To change the attitudes and behaviour of young people in order to reduce the frequency of carrying knives.
- To create positive peer group influences.
- To work in partnership with a variety of partners, parents and community leaders, working predominantly in secondary schools.
- To contribute to the development of a local strategy discouraging the carrying of weapons.
- To contribute to and inform the wider policy debate on knife culture liaising with key Government departments including the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department of Education and the Association of Chief Police Officers.
- To develop models of good practice and materials, which could be used elsewhere.
Funding
- Around £1.5 million has been invested in this initiative including grants to:
- Kickstart/Crime Concern (now part of Catch22) - £300,000 over 3 years towards work with schools, community and young offenders in Lambeth and Southwark
- Paddington Development Trust in partnership with Working With Men - £150,00 over 3 years for work with young people within a community setting/youth projects in Brent/Westminster.
- Catch 22 (formerly known as Rainer) - £150,000 over 3 years for work with young people in the criminal justice system in Brent/Westminster.
- Leap Confronting Conflict - £150,000 over 3 years towards work in schools in Westminster.
Timescale
2006-2010
More on Fear and Fashion
Achievements The four projects funded under the Fear and Fashion initiative could never solve the problem of knife crime, or even demonstrate how to solve the problem. However a number of important lessons have already emerged. The programme seeks to...
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