ACCM Lived Experience Project

ACCM sought funding from Big Lottery Fund Awards for all to help reach out to young people and children who are being constantly approached by gangs and drug dealers and enticed into becoming drug mules.

The problem is so difficult around s4 postcode area; Most community centre buildings staff find overnight-used needles in their grounds.

The impact of this has been devastating and emotionally draining for the parents of young people who have been dragged into, and has also ruined many young lives in Sheffield.

ACCM consultationshows that children as young as 12 are running drugs in Burngreave and wider areas amid escalating gang violence throughout Sheffield’s inner city areas.

During the closures of buildings due to COVID 19 we have had to work differently.

ACCM engaged itself with the BAMER COVID 19 Consortium so that the project built young people’s skills and confidence to manage conflict; cope with peer pressure and make the right choices; help them understand the causes and consequences of conflict; unpack myths; and ‘de-glamorise’ the lifestyle related to crime, drugs, prisons, gangs and weapons; give children and young people opportunities to practice techniques to avoid and resolve conflict, manage anger and communicate; empower young people to make the right choices on the basis of knowledge and support rather than ‘scare tactics’.

Use social media proactively to your advantage and work together to address its use to incite violence; where possible, consider working with friendship groups or whole gangs rather than just individual offenders – and take into consideration the specific circumstances, needs and wishes of girls and boys.

ACCM recruited good mentors who have a life-changing effect on at-risk youth. They come from all different backgrounds.

Recruiting and training carefully selected individuals who come from many BAME similar backgrounds as the young people they are supporting can help with the reach and relationship building in a way other services struggle to do.

The project has enabled mentors/key workers to give intensive, longitudinal support for those who need it using zoom meetings and leaflet outreach.

The project was scheduled to run for 11 months help keep over 300 of the beneficiaries safe.

ACCM drew the target users from the bases of out of school and after school provisions of UKKIDZ.

ACCM through this project has helped more people to reach their potential especially during a pandemic COVID 19, working against the odds of lockdown and social distancing; by supporting children and young people out of school at the earliest possible stage.

Many young people/children in the area do not reach their potential. The project provides support in places young people regularly go to and where they feel comfortable, including music projects, youth clubs, streets, gyms, and shopping centres.

The level of need for mental health support among young people involved in serious violence is high.

Gang-affiliated youth face additional barriers to support (including fear of a criminal past being exposed, losing position within the gang).

The project has tried out new approaches (i.e. whole family approaches and ‘walk and talk’ counselling), or providing support in different environments (youth centres, on the streets, cafes) to tackle stigma and barriers.

We will make it easier for young people to come forward to talk about gang pressure (e.g. by running young people/role model-led awareness.

We have undertaken bottom-led consultation with proposed project users and the local community: proposed beneficiaries, groups, community members, leaders e.g. local councillors, faith leaders and BAME groups. We used questionnaire feed-back forms, and direct interview of community members.

We consulted 380 young people. In December 2018 we held a symposium to prevent grooming/criminality/gangs/knife crime involving 38 young people and 28 parents. Due to some of the charity’s work being street based there has also been consultation done in a similar way with street discussions involving 75 young people gauging their response to the problems in the areas and the projects approach at easing them.

In addition, 7 focus groups have pinpointed key areas to move forward being and focus the project dominantly being in learning and educational areas. Results has been shared in a further 4 public meetings involving large sections of to communities being held in mosques where feedback and input on findings and strategies have fed directly into this proposal.

Our consultation shows that gang leaders are getting clued up to how police operate and they’re getting children aged 12, 13 or 14 to go out and sell the drugs for them. It’s another form of grooming and exploitation.