Bexley Community Safety Partnership Archives

Criminal bandit watches victim in dark alley. Man is preparing to commit an attack to people. Generation AI.

“Breaking the Chains: Empowering Against County Lines and Gang Influence”

Objective: Our workshop aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the signs, risks, and impacts associated with county lines operations and gang activities. We believe that knowledge is a powerful tool, and by empowering individuals with the right information, we can collectively work towards building a safer and more resilient community.

Key Workshop Highlights:

Insightful Presentations: Engaging presentations led by experienced facilitators will provide an in-depth look into the dynamics of county lines and the strategies employed by gangs.

Interactive Discussions: Participants will have the opportunity to engage in open and honest discussions, sharing their perspectives and experiences, fostering a sense of community awareness.

Real-Life Case Studies: The workshop will include real-life case studies to illustrate the complexities of county lines operations, and criminal exploitation vulnerability allowing participants to grasp the challenges faced by individuals and families in our community.

Prevention and Intervention Strategies: Practical strategies for recognising early signs of gang involvement and effective community-based intervention approaches will be discussed.

Community Building: The workshop will encourage young people to actively contribute to the creation of a safe and supportive environment, promoting resilience and solidarity.

This workshop is not just about raising awareness; it’s about equipping our young people with the knowledge and tools needed to take proactive steps in preventing and addressing the influence of county lines and gangs.

We believe that by investing in education and awareness, we empower individuals to protect themselves and their loved ones, fostering a community that is resilient in the face of adversity.

Young People of Erith

February 2, 2023

by admin Bexley Community Safety Partnership London Borough of Bexley Point of View Projects

Through the outreach work we do on a weekly basis, we have the opportunity to meet a variety of different people that live and commute into the community. Through these engagements we have successfully established some firm relationships with people of all ages.

We have also built a reasonably good relationship with many of the youth that live in this catchment.

Many of these young people have gone onto partake in a number of additional projects that have been initiated within the Erith area.

Through this engagement we have supported three young men in particular. These young men, were invited to be part of our project “Project Point of View” a project sponsored by the property developers Dominvs.

We are confident that the summer of 2022 will hold many treasured memories for the young men that took part.

The young men from Bexley are always enthusiastic and a pleasure to work with. They often visit us on our regular outreach provision.

During the summer they able visited spaces such as the US Embassy, high end apartments, constructions sites and even had the opportunity to interview the CEO of the Dominvs group in a scheduled podcast.

For the group the highlight was a five day residential in Cornwall where they all took part in water rafting, paddle boarding, canoeing and they even jumped from twenty foot cliffs to overcome their fear of water and other limiting beliefs they had.

Two of the young men could not swim before the residential, and had a fear of water in general.

Successfully all of the group overcame their fears of water and took part in some of the most challenging activities involving water.

The transformation for these three young men and the wider group was amazing to witness and share with them. They also established life long relationships created by the intense team work and support they offered each other over the days away from their homes and their natural environments.

The overall project will have a long lasting impact on their lives and will promote a better understanding of how they can overcome challenges now and in their futures.

Projects such as the outreach in Erith is proof that being on the streets and meeting the people in the community at a grassroots level really does have an impact.

“touching people’s hearts through your work is the only job that you could do and nobody has to hire you for it.”

Youth Unity works to provide opportunities to young people. This is all made possible meeting local people and opening frank and honest conversations.

More information can be found on this link ...

The Boys representing Erith

WhatsApp Image 2022-08-23 at 12.17.24 PM

microphone with a podcast icon on a table

Podcasting in the Community of Erith

January 8, 2023

by admin Arts & Culture Bexley Community Safety Partnership London Borough of Bexley

Podcasting in the community of Erith. Delivered in partnership with Bexley Community Safety Partnership. Interviews include some key people from the local area of Erith.

The podcasts are available to listen back to on our YUPOD via major platforms such as Spotify, iTunes.

Podcasting has become a popular way of addressing topics. It has become an important tool in communication. Podcasting can promote important discussions in a safe and comfortable environment. Many platforms that focus on podcasting as a medium are reaching audiences that were previously hard to attract.

Youth unity have used podcasting as a positive way of teaching young people that communicating effectively and raising awareness about topics that affect your immediate surroundings are a good way of creating change.

The core focus of using podcasting as a medium is to enable people of all ages to share the experience of talking together irrespective of age, gender or ability. The outcomes are measured in the recordings and can be an effective way of bridging the gaps in our communities.

The other benefits of using podcasting with young people is that it provides them with a new skill set that can be transferred into every aspect of their lives. Communication is the key to almost every career and the better you are at it the more opportunities are available.

This podcast is working with AgedUk, based in Erith. Whereby they run an amazing project called “Men in Sheds”. The young people had some great questions to ask with some interesting thought provoking answers.

https://www.meninshedsbexley.com/

Christmas Fun Afternoon in Erith

December 12, 2022

by admin Bexley Community Safety Partnership London Borough of Bexley

Youth Unity hosted a special community Christmas event at the Exchange in the heart of Erith in partnership with Bexley Community Safety Partnership. Also joined on the day by Act for Change and Bexley Moorings who work to support families in the area.

The event had a real sense of community, with cake and old fashioned triangle sandwiches, free refreshments and goodie bags for all the children, games and some dancing. Young people including parents got involved making paper stars which was led by Act for Change. The highlight was our grotto which made a real centre piece for Christmas, the community from all backgrounds got involved.

Through our outreach work we have connected with various members of the community who came along to enjoy the afternoon, despite to cold weather! Christina who is singing on the video is a 13 year old young girl, who clearly has an amazing voice and pretty sure she will go on to do great things.

The Exchange in Erith is a community space for everyone and this event gave the opportunity for the community to come along and be part of something positive.

Working in unity to bring people from all backgrounds and ages together!

HEYY Shirley, i just wanted to say that me and my sister had a wonderful time on Saturday, it was very nice and peaceful a lot of people had fun and I liked it aswell, you guys will be missed for the longest time until next year, erith is gonna miss youth unity, see you after Christmas 🎄!!
feedback from one of the young people who attended

Erith Unity – Art Project

August 1, 2022

by admin Bexley Community Safety Partnership London Borough of Bexley

Bexley Community Safety Partnership (BCSP) worked closely with Youth Unity CIC, as part of an ongoing approach to reducing violence in the local area, through this funding Youth Unity worked to install an amazing piece of artwork into the community of Erith.

Youth Unity worked with a local artist and youth worker, Cizeone to create this amazing mural in Erith, which is located on the underpass beneath the bridge at Bronze Age Way, next to Bexley College.

Youth Unity also engaged the local community payback team to assist us in preparing the area ready for the artist to commence the piece. This contribution was instrumental in giving the team a sense of pride in their local area and was quoted to say “how great it was to be part of something and have the local community come and talk to them instead of walking past”.

The message is a very positive one and has already received great feedback from the local community. During the creation of the artwork we successfully engaged with many people from the community that stopped to find out more about the artwork.

Special thanks to the community payback team and all their help!

To follow the BCSP please go to:

Facebook – Bexley Community Safety Partnership

Twitter – @BexleyCSP

Special thanks to the Community PayBack team for assisting us with the preparation of the wall. The team where happy to be part of something that is part of the community.