Ruth Ibegbuna wonders how many more young men will be killed in the most deprived parts of the country, before those in power listen to people like her: those who run projects for children and young people whose lack of hope or belief in a meaningful future too easily leads to despair and anger.
In England and Wales knife crime rose by 22% in 2017, and the year to March saw a 23% increase in gun crime in the capital. Experts speak of violent gangs being a significant part of this violent culture.
“I see the familiar negative narrative unwinding: condemnation of young people from the most underprivileged working class areas, and particularly black boys, who are focused on as the rot in society,” says Ibegbuna, who as chief executive of the charity Reclaim has spent the last 10 years in Moss Side, Manchester. “Isn’t it time the government took responsibility for a period of austerity which has hit the most disadvantaged the hardest, leaching away dignity, and any hope that things can improve? Aren’t these the left-behind people who Theresa May promised to champion when she first stood on the steps of Downing Street?,” she asks.
Reclaim has provided training in leadership and critical thinking to 1,700 teenagers, building self-confidence and aspiration. “I was determined to help our young people see how they could get through the class ceiling. We are getting young people asking questions: why would they never dream they could have a professional life, be a successful leader of industry, or a politician?” Participants write manifestos for change in the form of poster campaigns, conduct media interviews, and each receive 100 hours of one-to-one support. The project will continue supporting and encouraging the young people through mentoring, coaching and pastoral support until adulthood, although the majority engage for up to three years.
Ibegbuna is particularly keen to ensure the girls on the courses become more confident. “I see how little belief they have in their own abilities, how they want to imitate celebrities. A lot of time is spent pouting at Instagram,” she says.
Those who take part in Reclaim’s project become “dynamic, forceful and very willing to get up on platforms and tell it as it is”. She cites the example of a young girl who disclosed that she had been groomed and sexually exploited by local men when she was a 13-year-old living in Rochdale. “She found two other survivors and together they are now doing weekly training sessions with police and social workers explaining how to recognise when someone is being exploited.”
So have they broken through the class ceiling? “Among those who have left, some are in school, others are taking further education or working towards setting up enterprises and a couple went into the army. We keep in touch and none have got into trouble and all have can-do conviction, so I think the answer is yes.”
Ibegbuna is highly critical of the government’s policy on knife crime. “It is not radical and forward-thinking but looks to short-term fixes and instant results,” she explains. “It’s time to create positive pathways for these young people so they can see that their future can be more than street life and fear. Young people are currently traumatised and afraid; where is the mental health support needed for them? There is way too much pressure for adolescent minds to manage to process.
“Those with lived experience are asked to deliver workshops to terrify young people about the impact of knife crime, but it would be better if they were asked to lead policy advisers on mapping out exactly when the pressure points occur that lead teenagers into trouble and target resources at those points to safeguard young people.”
Ibegbuna has just left Reclaim to adopt two children. She will be a single mother and they will need time and energy “which I will give very happily”. But she also wants to extend the model she developed there for adults. Ultimately she believes Reclaim should be rolled out nationally.
“You can’t spend too much money and resources on young people’s happiness if you want them to be invested in society. But I fear this government thinks it would be a complete waste because the young people I am talking about wouldn’t have anything of value to contribute,” says Ibegbuna.
But she believes this couldn’t be further from the truth. “This is such a flawed way of looking at young people from tough communities. Many of those we work with from the most difficult environments have an inner resolve. With the right guidance and support, they can build on any perceived challenge they face and turn it to their advantage.”