Partners from across Greater Manchester have worked together to create a free tutorial for young people about gun and knife crime. The tutorial, designed to help prevent young people being persuaded into criminal, individual or group activity involving use of a violent weapon, covers a number of topics including the social pressures and challenges facing young people, the legislation around gun and knife crime, and the support that is available.

Carrying a knife or any weapon is never a good idea. Some people carry a knife because they think ‘everyone else is’ but that’s not the case – 99 per cent of young people in the UK don’t carry a knife. Some young people think if you carry a knife then it will provide protection. But statistics show that if you carry a knife or weapon then you are more likely to end up being hurt.

Led by Bolton College and supported by Greater Manchester Police, AOC, 84 Youth, StreetGames and the Violence Reduction Unit, the online tutorial will be rolled out to the Greater Manchester Colleges to support the prevention of gun and knife activity amongst young people.

The two-hour tutorial can be accessed online independently or ran as a classroom-based session.

Rebecca Bromley-Woods, Education Lead, Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit said: “This free online tutorial has been co-designed to inform young people of the consequences of carrying a weapon, inspiring alternative positive action. When used alongside a well-planned Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum it promotes discussion and develops knowledge and understanding of concepts such as risk, identity and power related to relationships and decision making within peer groups.”

Inspector Paul Nolan, Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit said: “Greater Manchester Police welcomed the opportunity to be involved in this initiative. Violent crime has no place in our communities, and often, young people are not aware of the possible consequences, and risks involved, so it is great to see free educational material for students to access.

“The tutorial will inform young people of the consequences of gun and knife crime and is a great example of how multiple agencies are working together as part of the on-going preventative work being carried out to make Greater Manchester a safer place for young people.”

The tutorial includes a number of video resources on a variety of topics, including the impact of violence on people of all ages, the power of sport, the importance of legislation and how local organisations are dealing with the causes of youth violence.

Davina Polding Excellence and Innovation Manager at Bolton College said: “The college has become even better informed of the work being done across Greater Manchester to prevent violent crime amongst young people. The learning resources are fantastic and could be used either in a classroom setting, or with learners completing the online tutorial in their own time, then having a class session to follow up and discuss their learning and assessment.”

To access the tutorial, please follow this link: Prevention of Gun and Knife Crime (boltoncc.ac.uk)

Article posted on: 23/11/2021 03:11pm