We know the stories, we see the signs (most of the time), but we pass the responsibility off to someone else to deal with. We become detached, nonchalant, dismissive. We act as though it’s just another product of living in a marginalised area, or among a certain group of people when it isn’t.
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) is not something that can just be bypassed. Read our latest article that shines a light on CCE and helps us to better understand the reality of what our youth are facing.
“Really Engaging team; they hit the right notes and pitched it perfectly for the target audience” - Assistant Headteacher
“They were fantastic. Their energy was amazing. The year 8 pupils responded really well. Their openness and honesty really impressed me. They hid nothing from our pupils and that’s what they really need. Even though we changed the timings slighty in the afternoon, they were preapred and welcoming to the yr8 pupils. Thanks so much” - Head of Year
The sessions were amazing. Prince and Leon used their experiences in a positive wat to educate the students. The assembly at the end with the role plays engaged the students and kept them entertained. The students were fascinated by their stories. - Head of Year
‘I recently attended one of the sessions that The Safety Box team were running at Haringey 6th form college and I was hugely impressed by the enthusiasm of all those involved. I could see that each of the young people attending the sessions were enjoying the programme and were inspired and uplifted by the positivity, encouragement and support given to them by The Safety Box team. Having attended the session, based on their delivery, I would recommend The Safety Box as a viable intervention for young people’
Former Governor at HMP Elmley Sara Pennington said :
“The “Aspire Higher” programme is amongst the most innovative, exciting and, quite frankly, life changing programmes that I’ve seen. There is no doubt that the Aspire Programme has had a hugely positive impact both on staff and the men in custody.
This programme has contributed to the reduction in our prison violence over the past year by targeting those who are repeatedly violent, finding out what their underpinning issues might be and addressing those issues, along with giving them the skills to change their mind set, break bad habits and think more positively about their lives.”
Part of the continued success around the program is that both Nathaniel Peat and Chris Syrus and their team have a cognisant understanding of street life and prison, both are identified as credible messengers by the prisoners, they are both highly respected, inspiring and listened to by the prisoners.
Stopping prison violence is a priority, but it should not only be for the well-being and rehabilitation of those incarcerated, but also for the well-being of communities outside. Halting violence in prison and preventing its spread to our communities requires more than disciplinary and management approaches. These types of approaches may be able to stop violence in the short term, but they have not been effective at changing the mind-sets and behaviours that perpetuate violence. Furthermore, as groups evolve, it becomes tremendously difficult for prison staff to respond efficiently and effectively to conflicts.
HMP Elmley and The Aspire Higher holistic approach offers a method for preventing violence, both in the short term and in the long term by changing mind sets and violent behaviours of not only prisoners but staff alike.
The Aspire Higher model is innovative and has the potential to do more in the reducing of prison violence in the UK and wider community.”
"Stop the killings" is the cry from our young people and families today. Join us for an inspirational event as we fight on for a safer society where young people will no longer be killed on our streets.
The producers of Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition, with Dwaynamics ABC and The Safety Box, have joined forces to invite you to a special Private View of the exhibition in support of these two award winning Social Enterprises on Thursday 9 May at 7pm.
Founder Nathaniel Peat was interviewed by Victoria Derbyshire on BBC2 surrounding the new guidelines to judges.
The social and ethnic backgrounds of young offenders will now be taken into account to “avoid criminalising BME children unnecessarily”, according to sentencing guidelines for judges and magistrates published.
Among mitigating factors to be considered when punishing those between the ages of 10 and 17 are whether they have had “unstable upbringings”, experienced criminal behaviour within their family or were exposed to pornography.
The regulations, circulated by the Sentencing Council, give greater priority to the defendant’s social circumstances, including any social deprivation or abuse. They are aimed at ensuring uniform treatment in youth courts across the country.
“The approach to sentencing should be individualistic and focused on the child or young person, as opposed to offence focused …” the guidelines’ introductory remarks state.
Nathaniel Peat spoke to the guidelines as being a step in the right direction, considering the disproportionate amount of BME offenders currently serving custodial sentences.
The EDUCATION Minister of Jamaica Ruel Reid and our Founder Nathaniel Peat, will be among the speakers confirmed for the second staging of the International Safeguarding Children Conference, scheduled for May 5 and 6 in Kingston, Jamaica.
The education minister will give the main address at the conference on May 5, at Mona Visitors’ Lodge, University of the West Indies, Mona. The minister and Peat join British High Commissioner David Fitton and local and overseas-based specialists in child welfare and youth services who have been confirmed for the conference, which is being held under the theme Safeguarding, Education, Training and Development.
Dubbed “The Quality of Life Conference with a Difference”, the conference is organised by the UK-based social work company One Step Forward Consultancy in collaboration with the Victoria Climbie Foundation (UK) and the British High Commission.
The Safety Box Founder Nathaniel Peat and Director of Violence Prevention Jason Featherstone to attend Violent Religious Extremism Meeting - European Parliamentarians Peace Initiatve.
Houses of Parliament, Westminster.
How is Europe to Deal With Violent Religious Extremism?
European Parliamentarian’s Peace Initiative
Dr. Thomas Walsh, UPF International President
Kindly Hosted by Mr. Virendra Sharma MP, UK - UPF Patron
Speakers Include: Rt. Hon. Tom Brake MP
Mr. Robert Cutajar MP (Malta)
Lord Ahmed of Rotherham
Prof. Mimoza Hafizi MP (Albania)
Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece Of Highbury OBE (Invited)
Dr. Afzal Ashraf: Consultant Fellow, Royal United Services Institute
The safety box program was delivered through a 10 week summer term tailored program, working with previously identified at risk pupils from across the whole range of key stage 3. As head of Citizenship and PSHE within the school I found the classes to be extremely beneficial to the pupils involved in many different ways. Pupils began to show respect for one another and encouraged each other to be positive. Aspirations were revealed and pupils supported one another to try and work out how to achieve these ambitions. This was something I clearly saw continuing throughout school and within lessons outside of the program. Although the pupils took sometime to demonstrate this positivity I believe they gained insight and support that they will be able to take forward with them and to help them address any issues that may have previously been holding them back and leading towards negative behaviour.
A number of pupils responded particularly well to the program and have already taken personal steps to demonstrate a change in their behaviour and how they see themselves and what they can achieve. One since joined the local air cadets, this has had a positive impact on his discipline and his learning. Other pupils simply saw that they could break out of the cycle of negativity that was leading them to poor behaviour and therefore not embracing their education. I would strongly recommend The Safety Box program to any school. It is highly beneficial to all pupils especially those that need further guidance and those that need to be given a chance to make a change.
Guardian Newspaper Interview Transcript.
Mr E Connolly: - “The main reason why we invited The Safety Box into the school is not only because they have a reputation for themselves, but that we feel they can emphasise with the children in our school and in within the community. We also feel that the members who deliver the program are respected by the boys, and after 1 or 2 sessions with the team, we found that the boys themselves would go out and talk about their experiences and it was almost like a cascade effect, that they were respected; and they respected the people they were talking to and therefore they would agree with their ideas and pass it on to other students.”
Harron Siddique: - “So is it something you would recommend for another school?”
Mr E Connolly: - “I think this is an excellent idea for all schools, not necessarily those schools you would think of areas within inner London but outside of London as well. I think these people actually could explain to others some of the difficulties that students face within their lives and often it’s by knowledge of this we understand the situation that these students are in. So I think this should be rolled out not just within inner City areas but throughout the country.”
Haroon Siddique: - “Some of what they say is pretty shocking one of the guys was an x gang member talking about his experience in prison, do you think it’s important that young men are alerted to this information?”
Mr E Connolly: - “I think the greatest example that this group give is that they do not sensationalise these activities that they were in the past. They actually say to the children, “this is where I have been and this is the journey I have taken to where I am now, and it gives the child the reality that I have got somebody in front of me that actually knows how I feel sometimes, that has been in a area where there are difficulties, that has been in a area where to join a gang is part of the culture of the area where you survive, and it shows them how you can break away from that and how you can seek advice from those people that can put you on a different path. So I don’t think it is shocking at all and I think we under estimate what the children themselves have experienced in their own lives.”
The CEO of the Safety Box Nathaniel Peat will be on Victoria Derbyshire show on 31/03/2016 discussing rehabilitation of offenders withing YOI's in the UK. He can be watched online on BBC IPlayer 30 minutes after the show.
