Making a Difference

Lisa Rake

Lisa tells us about the young people she works with, and what they get up to.

Further Info

This story was made in a four and a half day training workshop for facilitators and artists working in Henbury. It was led by Aikaterini Gegisian, Liz Milner and Paddy Uglow with support from Helen Boal and was supported by Bristol’s Museums, Galleries & Archives.

Transcript

Things in life aren’t always what they seem. If you see a group of young people congregating early in the morning, do you think that they are up to no good, that they’ve been up all night, or that they have got up early to improve their environment?

Henbury Youth Inclusion Project is part of Bristol Youth Offending Team’s Crime Prevention Strategy. The aim of the project is to increase resilience, promote opportunity in order to reduce crime. With the support of other professionals, a number of community work days were undertaken during the summer. These included graffiti bins, flower boxes, mosaic murals, litter-picking, all of which culminated in a Community Fun Day.

Through the community work, young people started to build inter-generational links while actively trying to change the negative stereotypes that are promoted through political rhetoric, which brand young people as yobs, hooligans, rowdy, dangerous, waste of space. The ASBO (antisocial behaviour order) brand has worked its magic.

Next time you see a bunch of young people, I challenge you to remember these could be the ones who Crow Lane colourful.

Give young people the recognition they deserve. After all, when they engage with projects like the Henbury YIP, they’re at least trying to implement change.

Credits

Music created by Dimitri Diavatis, Opsound.com, used under copyright licence.