In December 2018 we awarded a £10,000 grant to For Jimmy* to empower young people in disadvantaged communities through various programmes. These included the ‘Safe Havens project’ providing young people with safe and protected places within the community that they can turn to in case of danger, there are now 145 Safe Havens in Lewisham. The grant also helped fuel ‘Talks For Change’, a programme in schools and businesses to encourage young people to take part in building peaceful communities. This has reached over 12,000 people. Similarly, ‘For Jimmy’s Safety Conferences’ lets pupils take the rein and gives them a platform to make change happen, which has so far worked with more than ten schools.
For Jimmy is making a considerable impact in areas across Lewisham borough, with 95% of schools asking for the organisation’s programmes to be repeated with new cohorts the next year. We look forward to witnessing the continued success that For Jimmy has planned for the future!
* For Jimmy’s programmes support and transform disadvantaged communities by upholding three key outcomes of success: young people taking greater responsibility, young people feeling more connected in their community and young people feeling safer. Jimmy Mizen, a 16 year old school boy, was murdered during an unprovoked attack in his local High Street. After Jimmy’s death, his parents asked, ‘Do we need more legislation, or do we need to ask ourselves about the kind of society we all want to live in?” This organisation focuses on creating safer and more peaceful communities by understanding the root causes of violence, confrontation and anger, and by using a person centred approach to educate and engage with young people and their communities.