Camden Council set to launch first ever Youth Safety Week
Camden’s week of action on youth safety from 10 to 14 February will combine a series of events, performances and workshops to provide support for the borough’s young people and their families and raise awareness of what is being done locally to help keep Camden’s young people safe.
Youth Safety Week will kick off at Camden House on Monday 10 February with a market place event, bringing together youth services, schools and community groups to discuss how to improve youth safety.
The first event will also shine a light on the work of aspiring social enterprises by young people in Camden and showcase some of the work being made possible thanks to grants from the Council’s Youth Safety Fund. The event will finish with a Question Time style session giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions around youth safety and crime to a panel.
During the week, residents can get involved in several workshops, including ‘staying safe online’, ‘talking about substance misuse’ and ‘exclusions and school’ as well as drop-in sessions for parents who may need information and support around youth safety.
Young people aged between 12 and 19 will also have the opportunity to attend a victim support workshop to find out what help is available for people affected by violence.
The importance of Youth Safety Week is about coming together as a community and recognising the role we all have in ensuring young people have safe places to be and to thrive. Professionals and services are making a commitment to provide safe spaces and safe opportunities for young people – as well as attuned, considered, youth-led support that allows them to make the most of these.
Boroughs across the Capital are experiencing the devastating effects of youth violence and it’s our priority in Camden to ensure every young person feels safe and lives a life away from crime. By hosting the borough’s first ever Youth Safety Week, we can directly reach out to communities to see what support they may need and find real solutions to the problems we face alongside Camden’s youth services, the police, community groups and schools.
Shout Out - the annual Camden Youth Council debate - will also be taking place in the Council Chamber during Youth Safety Week, with guests including Council Leader, Cllr Georgia Gould, Cabinet Members, senior Council officers and members of the Youth Safety Steering Group.
The evening will see discussions led by Camden’s Youth MP and the Youth Council about youth safety to explore ideas on innovative ways to tackle youth crime in Camden.
It's extremely important for us to ensure that young people are involved in projects dedicated to youth safety because they are the ones who this work is designed for. Young people, their opinions and their insights are essential in informing successful practices, because often they provide a way of thinking that the adults in the room may not share. Our annual Shout Out event is one of the ways in which young people from across the borough can channel their views to the local council, as well as gauge an awareness of the community actions taken that will have an impact on them.
In the lead up to Youth Safety Week, the young people’s commissioning team are hosting a Real Talk debate, giving Camden’s young people the chance to discuss their views around the topic ‘One Choice, Many Lives’.
The winners of the Council’s multi-media competition, which encouraged children and teenagers to get creative by producing a range of media projects based on the theme ‘keeping children and young people in Camden safe’, will also be announced.
As part of Youth Safety Week, graphic novel style artwork commissioned by Lifeline Publications will be displayed on boards in Camden Town, to tell the story of how a young person who got involved in crime and then ‘broke the cycle’. A hard-hitting theatre performance organised by youth clubs in Camden, ‘Breaking the Chain’, will also debut to kick-start conversations about youth violence.
Find out more:
Youth Safety Week is taking place between Monday 10 February to Friday 14 February 2020.
For a full list of events taking place during Youth Safety Week and to register, head to the Camden Rise website
If you would like to contact us or get involved in making Camden safer for our young people, please email youthsafety@camden.gov.uk