Guns & Gangs

Fairbridge was the centre of a media storm early in 2007 when Billy Cox, a former client of our Kennington centre, became the latest victim of the gang violence that was spreading throughout London.

In response, young people from Fairbridge came together for a course that explored the issue of gang violence. They ran a prevention workshop with ex-criminal Trevor Hercules and visited Phoenix House, a drug rehab centre, to study the link between drugs and crime.

The course culminated in a round table session at which participants presented their recommendations to local MP Kate Hooey and actor/musician Ashley Walters (Asher D). The young people also produced a magazine that presented their findings, which was distributed amongst their peer group.

The innovative nature of the course pulled in Radio 4’s Today Programme who showcased the course in two five-minute slots.

The course was so successful that it has been used as a model for an on-going Young Peoples’ Forum, where service users choose other issues to research and present.