A year of workshops tackling gang crime and knife crime marked

The project, which was a call to action to help reduce the growing problem of gang violence and knife crime which has caused issues across the country has been delivered in schools and colleges across Luton throughout 2024 and into 2025, has made significant strides in educating and empowering young people to make positive choices.Successful delivery

Att10tives youth ambassadors played a critical role in the success of workshops and educating their peers. Through training on how to deliver the workshops then gaining hands-on experience delivering the workshops, Att10tive Youth Ambassadors developed leadership and presentation skills.

Manveer Singh a senior youth ambassador said: “I found the workshops to be really helpful and I really understood the value in providing the workshops. I myself learned a lot about how to run workshops, how to plan out the schedule with interactive activities and change things up depending on what works to keep everyone's interest. The young people interacted well with the activities we provided. They also learned about support organisations that help young people. This is critical because most young people don’t know who to turn to”

Adeel Bashir, a director who supported the workshops, said: “Young people gained valuable knowledge from the resources we provided. They got to engage with each other, their voices were heard as they were able to say what they thought. They gained life skills and teamwork skills. They were a lot more reassured and empowered.”

Executive assistant Laaibah Mujtaba said: “We spent a lot of time raising awareness of support organisations. To ensure we were getting the message across we included a range of tools such as videos, presentations, quizzes real life stories and scenarios as well as group activities. Delivering these workshops helped build my presentation creativity and adaptability skills.”

Youth Ambassador Forever Oji said: “The Taking The Right Path workshop which was delivered by Att10tive in my school was the very same workshop that got me interested and led me to applying to be a Youth Ambassador. This workshop is dedicated to empowering people with the skills and knowledge to make positive choices”

Youth Ambassador Kaysah Alam said: “The workshops were a highly immersive experience that highlighted the diverse backgrounds and situations that young people can face. It was an excellent way to guide them away from negative influences. And to make informed choices.”

The project's success was made possible through the generous support of sponsors such as BLCF (Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation). Att10tive extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Luton Youth Partnership Service Bedfordshire police cohesion officers and Councils Social Justice Unit for their unwavering support and collaboration.

Montell Neufville, managing director of Att10tive, stated: "Knife crime is not just a policing problem or an issue affecting a particular demographic. It impacts everyone, directly and indirectly.

"Our approach has been to bring young people and the wider community together to address this issue collectively. The workshops have been a beacon of hope in Luton's fight against gang crime. We've seen first-hand how education and community engagement can make a real difference in the lives of young people."

Att10tive has been at the forefront of efforts to make people less vulnerable to exploitation and to foster community cohesion. The organisation's unique approach includes:

1. Youth-led interventions and peer education

2. Community engagement initiatives

3. Partnerships with local authorities and law enforcement

4. Skills-based workshops accommodating different learning styles

Said Mr Neufville: “Att10tive plans to continue these impactful workshops. With the continued support from our partners we are committed to ensuring Luton’s 2040 objectives of making the town a safer, more harmonious place is achieved.”