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Ganging up on crime

The Marcus Lipton Youth Club in Lambeth is in an area where gang culture is a real issue, with local young people often joining gangs from the age of 13.

19 year old Nicola is a member of Lambeth’s Youth Opportunity Fund and, together with her mates, she wanted to help potential gang members get away from the street crime and violence of the gang lifestyle.

“I was surprised,” recalls Nicola. “Because everything at the club looked so innocent, I had no idea that gang culture could involve people as young as 13 and 14.”

Building bridges

Nicola and her three friends, Danni, Chanelle and Termz developed an idea called the Breaking Barriers project.

As Nicola explains: “Our plan is to take members from the different gangs away from their regular environment and give them an opportunity to get to know each other. The theory is that when they meet in the street, they won’t just view each other as rivals.”

The club plans to put the idea into action in Spring 2007, when 20 young people aged between 12 and 15 years old will go on what they call a ‘residential’ – a trip away from the area that will allow them to get involved in fun, challenging activities to show them there’s more to life than gang membership. 

Danni believes that young people should start taking more responsibility for their actions: “Young people have to think about the issues and decide to make a difference.”

Fellow organiser, Termz believes the residentials will start to reduce the tensions between rival gangs: “It will help us to play and work together and when we get back it will build up our friendship.”

Those who attend the event will receive a certificate from the Youth Opportunity Fund, and be given the chance to work towards a nationally recognised Youth Achievement Award.

A brighter future

The three friends developed their idea at every stage of the planning process - completing funding applications, organising meetings and breaking down barriers in their neighbourhood.

They also gained project management and verbal communications skills, increased their self esteem, and more importantly, offered hope to many others in the area. 

The youngest member of the trio, Chanelle, really rose to the challenge of being project leader: “I organised the meetings and made the phone calls to the residential centre. I feel more mature, like an adult with responsibilities.”

Using the money from their National Youth Challenge Award, the Breaking Barriers project will now be able to offer further residentials to more of the one hundred young people that initially applied.

The money will also be used to set up other projects, including a Breaking Barriers football tournament and an internet café at the youth club with access to IT, meaning teens can set up their own website in direct competition with gang recruitment sites.

Gang culture is a tough problem to tackle, but Nicola thinks they  really can make a difference: “I think it’s fantastic that they believe in what they’re doing, and that they really want it – because with thinking like that, things can really change.”