Charities deliver key message about knife crime

Charities Key4Life and Epic Partners visited Nottingham Academy as part of a programme to educate youngsters about the impact of knife crime and violence.

The two charities delivered a presentation based around development, resilience and respect to year 9 and 10 pupils at the Nottingham Academy Greenwood campus and Ransom Road campus.

Key4Life helps reduce youth reoffending through rehabilitation and Epic Partners, is a community-based charity, which delivers diversionary activities to enrich the lives of young people.

Louis Donald, Associate Assistant Principal and Safeguarding Officer at Nottingham Academy, said: “The powerful presentation included personal testimonies, music and video.

“A small group of privileged pupils were given the opportunity to complete smaller group workshops with the team of presenters.”

The individual workshops explored how drill music drives youth culture, including gang associations and violence, the cause and effect of gang and knife crime and personal decision making.

Next month, some pupils will go on a short residential trip to Paddington Farm in Somerset, as part of a continuation of this programme.

The pupils will be introduced to an exciting range of experiences to support the development of team building, leadership responsibility and other essential life skills.

There will also be a series of workshops relating to the risks of negative association, incorporated alongside traditional sports activities.