Who you go to jail for the Snapchat?
The pressures on children today through social media make it extremely easy to get involved in gang violence,drug crime but an initiative taking place across Greater Manchester is aiming to persuade youngsters to go down a different route and think of the consequences of decisions and actions that they take.
Deputy Mayor, Kate Green, who took office this week,and Mayor, Andy Burnham, visited Newman College RC in Oldham to observe a session delivered to pupils by one of Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit’s partners, on the consequences of crime and how decisions young people make can shape their lives.
The session was delivered as part of the Violence Reduction Unit’s (VRU’s) community-led programmes initiative, by organisation 1Message and their founder and CEO Matthew Norford, a former gang member.
Speaking to a group of 13-14 year olds Matthew gave the group a series of scenarios designed to illustrate how easy it is to get trapped into a rollercoaster situation .How far would you go to protect someone you love? If for example they ran into the house with a knife used in a stabbing incident,would you shop them to the police?
The session saw Mayor Andy Burnham admit that at the age of 14,he was at a crossroads where the wrong choice would have taken him down the path of crime but he told the pupils that he took the correct turning and knuckled down to his exams
Speaking after the session Kate Green, said: “We’ve all seen the devastating consequences of violent crime in communities across Greater Manchester and the rest of the country and in my role as Deputy Mayor I am committed to continuing the work through the Violence Reduction Unit to prevent violence and keep people safe.
“I’m delighted to have seen first-hand here in Oldham, the type of sessions that are happening across Greater Manchester to better educate, inform and engage with young people around the impacts these crimes have on individuals, families and our communities. Importantly, we are working with people like Matthew Norford with the lived experience to help young people understand the importance of making positive life choices.”
