Fear and Fashion

Young people carrying knives and other weapons is a growing problem. In London, Bridge House Trust, a charitable grantmaker based in the capital, considered the nature of the problem and the potential for support from grantmakers. As a result of a report on the subject, five foundations, including Esmée Fairbairn, discussed collaborating to address the issue. The report 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.

Despite the scale of the problem, the report found few programmes specifically dedicated to addressing this issue. Several programmes work with young people on conflict resolution, tackle gang culture and support parents, but few relate directly to the use and carrying of weapons. Some individual groups, such as theatre companies and consultants, undertake creative work on this topic, but this tends to be ad-hoc. The report's main recommendation was that the immediate priority is the development of more systematic good-practice materials and programmes for schools and others working with young people. These would be best developed in a locality where the problem is particularly acute and should involve a range of relevant people and organisations, including the police, schools and youth offending teams.

The five funders decided that there are examples of good, localised practice, and 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. Under the initiative Fear and Fashion, the aim is to fund 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.

For more information please visit the Fear and Fashion website.


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