FIGHTING
KNIFE CRIME
amst ow Cent ral Katy & the Stree tbase team in Walth
Streetbase, Youth Engagement best practice, a peer-led approach Jane Brueseke, Youth Engagement & Participation Manager, Waltham Forest Council
W
e launched Streetbase in Waltham Forest in May half term 2019. It’s a groundbreaking concept; a programme set up by the Southwark Young Advisors and trademarked to and run by existing Young Advisors (https://youngadvisors. org.uk/) an entirely youth-led initiative with trained young people engaging their peers on the streets, building relationships, signposting to activities and support, and most importantly, being positive role models. By the end of that first year, only 7 months in, our team of specially trained Young Advisors and YIAG (Youth Independent Advisory Group) members, all aged 16-25 had surpassed targets and engaged over 700 young people. We had applied to the Mayor’s 8
Young Londoners Fund, set up to address youth violence in the capital, and from the start the programme was co-produced, two of our young people co-wrote the bid with me, the only application with written input from young people affected by the issues young Londoners face. And now as then, I want most of this article to come from the words of the young people direct, so will be reproducing what they have written for a variety of articles about the programme they have worked on now for almost 3 years. 23-year-old Katy was recruited from the existing Young Advisors team to coordinate the programme in Waltham Forest. Katy is a dynamic young lady, a natural leader who is destined for great things (watch this space, she has www.FightingKnifeCrime.London
