Tackling Knife Culture

The Charity is part of a joint initiative of London charities addressing the growing issue of young people carrying knives. The aim is to develop exemplar, multi-agency projects which reduce the use and carrying of knives and other weapons. The Charity is working with City Bridge Trust, The Wates Foundation, Esmee Fairbairn, and City Parochial Foundation.

Fear and Fashion, a report commissioned by City Bridge Trust that led to the collaboration of funders confirmed that carrying knives and other weapons among young people is growing, increasingly affecting the 11-16 age group. The most common reason for carrying weapons, given by the young people themselves, was fear. Other contributing factors were identified as peer influence, group identity and fashion. The report also found that despite the scale of the problem there were few programmes that specifically designed to address this issue and recommended the development of more systematic good-practice materials and programmes for schools and others working with young people.

As a result the five funders invited bids from organisations with relevant experience and the capacity to develop a more strategic approach to tackling the problem. Initiatives will be evaluated, with the aim of disseminating and sharing best practice. The aim is to develop two demonstration projects in London 'hotspots,' one in north Westminster/Brent and the other in Lambeth/Southwark. These both involve a single, lead organisation working with smaller, specialised groups, a named secondary school and a Pupil Referral Unit or similar. The aim is to raise awareness of the problem and its consequences, provide alternatives to carrying weapons, create positive peer influences and include the needs of victims.