Youth Violence Awareness event at a London Crown Court
The young people from the London PAC (Peer Action Collective) project were invited to Wood Green Crown Court in London on Wednesday 5 March to take part in an event discussing knife crime.
The PAC team’s ongoing work towards real, on-the-ground change in Haringey, has a current focus on the link between mental health and youth violence. Recognised by the event organisers for their work in the community, the team were invited to listen and engage in a Q&A session.
Organised by criminal defence barrister, Stephen Akinsanya, the team were given the opportunity to hear directly from individuals who are tackling knife crime from different perspectives – from surgeons who operate on and support individuals who have been stabbed (Dr Roger Kneebone), a reformed offender with lived experience of the Criminal Justice System (Dez Brown), the police (Sergeant Andy Lawton) and a mother who is on a mission to end youth violence after losing her son (Yvonne Lawson).
The team were given the opportunity to hear directly from individuals who are tackling knife crime from different perspectives
After hearing from the speakers, a key takeaway for the team was how knife crime changes everybody’s life – whether they are holding the knife or being hurt by it. McPin’s senior peer research co-ordinator on the project, Hanna Jones, said: “It was a unique experience for our young people to sit in the places where people who are involved in knife crime’s lives are changed forever. It left the young people feeling inspired and further motivated to continue their work in the community with young people.”
Find out more
If you would like to learn more about how McPin and the Peace Alliance is working with young people to design and deliver peer research and social action, read more on our PAC project page.
Interested in reading more about the first phase of research, which focused on school exclusions and youth violence, read PAC Research Findings October 2024.
The Peer Action Collective (PAC) is a £12.7 million programme, which aims to give young people the chance to make their communities safer, fairer places to live. It is funded by the Youth Endowment Fund, the #iwill Fund (a joint investment between The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and the Co-op Group.
