Growing up in Camden ourselves, we understand first-hand the problems and issues young people face. We relied on local-services, facilities, and youth clubs to support our daily lives as our families relied on the government for support. We understood the importance of having relatable and positive role-models to follow. However, the lack of youth services and little support around us left many of our friends feeling disengaged within the community. A lot of them were involved with gangs, drugs, and knife crime.
Consequently, some of them have suffered mental health issues and some have sadly had their lives taken away from them. Many young people in our community today suffer the same, therefore making them vulnerable to be groomed by gangs.
A big issue is that young people do not have an ‘exit-strategy’ from gang-culture, as they struggle to fit back into society with no experience or training. That is why we believe we need to do all we can to help make it an easy escape for those in similar positions as members of our community were.
