At the start of anti-knife crime week, and in a fortnight that has seen knife crime hit the news once again, the role that youth clubs can play in helping to combat something that has sadly been part of our society for well over a century, here are five-reasons why investment in youth clubs should be considered.
Youth clubs are by no means the panacea to knife crime, but they can play a significant role in helping to reduce the incidence of knife in our most deprived communities.
There are many more reasons for investing in youth clubs, but here are five to get you started.
1) It’s not rocket-science, it gets young people off the streets.
Quite simply, if young people are in a youth club (or indeed something similar – scouts, guides, Boxing club or Football club), they can’t be out on the streets doing something less positive with their time – it’s physically impossible.
2) They get to learn positive habits.
A good youth club will have a good quality programme running and will include physical activity, the arts, creative programmes, educational opportunities, social activities and much more.
In and of themselves they may appear slightly random or lacking purpose. But the ongoing opportunity to get involved in these activities means that young people are learning the habit of making the most of the opportunities afforded them and crucially getting into the habit of doing something positive with their spare time, rather than getting caught up in things such as knife crime, anti-social behaviour and so on.
3) A sense of belonging.
The vast majority of youth clubs are primarily social places. Young people hang out together, build friendships they already have and make new ones.
Research recently undertaken for the Boys & Girls Clubs showed, that whilst young people went along to youth clubs to take part in a whole variety of activities, the main reason they went to their local youth club was so that they could be with their friends.
A key reason that young people get caught up in gangs and gang violence is the sense of belonging they have. Youth clubs offer a credible alternative to that, where violence is not encouraged, but where friendship and community is the focus.
4) Positive role models.
Whether they are volunteers or paid youth workers, youth clubs are staffed by people who aspire to make a positive impact on young people’s lives.
Many of the young people who attend youth clubs very often just need a nudge in the right direction to get them on a positive life trajectory.
The biggest influence in any life is relationship. Youth clubs provide youth workers and volunteers with a great forum to build a positive relationship with a young person and consequently have a positive influence on a young life. Away from many of the more negative role models those youngsters have around them.
5) A sense of community.
Youth clubs are very often at the heart of the community and what is happening at the youth club can very often set the tone for what happens in the rest of the community.
Certainly in the Boys & Girls Clubs movement, many of our clubs have been at the heart of the community for decades – in 2019 one club in Greater Manchester celebrates 130-years of service to the town of Stockport!
Local youth clubs bring together young people of all kinds and local workers and volunteers of all ages and types. It brings together people with all sorts of experiences, skills, abilities, networks and contacts that you very rarely find anywhere else.
It allows young people to benefit from that kaleidoscope of life grow in it and become a part of it.
More importantly they get to contribute to their community through their achievements, their personal growth and eventually their own work and service.
As already said, youth clubs are by no means the overall answer to the problem of gangs and knife crime, but they can play a crucial role in helping to address the problem, by getting to the root of the challenges many of our most vulnerable young people face, rather than just responding to the manifestation of those overwhelmed by the challenges.