About the event

Building on the success and momentum of last year’s event, we are excited to announce Active Essex Foundation (AEF)’s second Sport and Youth Crime Prevention Conference, bringing together partners from across the criminal justice system, statutory and community organisations from across Greater Essex. We are getting in touch today to ask you to register for our conference on the 18th September at Colchester United Football Stadium, 9am to 4pm.

You will hear from professionals working in the field, and guest speakers including PFCC Roger Hirst, Senior Police Officers, representatives from the Youth Endowment Fund, partner agencies, community sport providers, as well as youth voice sharing experiences of how sport and physical activity has positively impacted their lives. The conference will be free to attend, and will include pastries on arrival, a free delicious lunch and time to meet partners and network.

We hope that you can join us, register here !

Morning Workshops

Please see below information on the morning and afternoon workshop sessions so you can select your choices on the form;

The Dangers of Radicalisation for CYP

Vice Presidents Lounge

Spotting the signs of radicalisation in youth interventions and sport and activity settings. Presenters will:

Outline some radical ideologies, organisations and extremist theories
Discuss proscribed organisations and affiliations
Examine some signs that a young person may be vulnerable to radicalisation
Provide signposting and advice for effective safeguarding

Delivered by Caroline Ellis ECC Lead for Community Safety, Tony Willis, Andrew Lowing ECC Equalities and Partnerships

The role of combat sports in youth intervention

Dick Graham Suite

Combat sports not only improves physical and mental health but can be an effective engagement and crime prevention tool. They utilise the strengths of discipline, respect, integrity and self-worth to empower young people to make positive life choices. Combat sports can build stronger young people who will be galvanised to reject situations that are likely to cause them or their peers harm. Young people learn new skills, discipline, confidence, team-work and effective communication that instils a focused mindset that goes beyond the gym.

This interactive workshop explores:

The role combat sport plays in youth intervention and community safety strategies
Key partner agencies
Experiences of a young person

BoxSmart on the Ropes provision

Delivered by Supt. Waheed Khan, Essex Police Strategic Lead for Partnerships and Engagement, Local Police representation, Inspire2gether boxing provision coaches, Young person and Essex Youth Service

Move for our Mental Health

Players Lounge

National Online Wellbeing Services (N.O.W.S) will lead an interactive workshop in which they:

Explore and invite attendees to experience the relationship between movement and mental health
Discuss the impact that physical activity has on emotional wellbeing,
Recognise the opportunities that sport and physical activity can offer for youth mental health and the potential links to young people’s vulnerability to exploitation and involvement in criminality.

Active Essex Foundation will also provide an awareness of the Essex Sport and Youth Mental Health Project and wider network.

Delivered by Luke Tandy and Sian Cleary from AEF Sport and Youth Mental Health Project

Knife Crime, national to local picture

Layer Suite

Knife crime continues to be a prominent news story. The Ben Kinsella Trust, a leading UK anti-knife crime charity, will:

Discuss this pernicious problem
Describe the current national picture.
Utilise evidence from the Essex VVU to give a localised picture

In this workshop you will hear from young people from Essex sharing their personal experiences of the impact knife crime, and the fear of knife crime, has on them on a daily basis, and the implications for their lives, along with some discussion around practical steps we might be able to take to make knife crime less prevalent.

Delivered by Tom Jewkes from Ben Kinsella Trust, Tom Paget from Reach Group

Afternoon Workshops

Please read the descriptions below

Creative Ways of recording impact

Dick Graham Suite

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) can be much more exciting than spreadsheets and pie charts. This interactive workshop explores four creative and engaging ways to capture the impact of provisions and the voice of young people.

The workshop will explore:

Ripple Effects Mapping
Graffiti art
Music and spoken word poetry
Plus an opportunity to hear from attendees on other MEL processes.

Delivered by Dr Rowena Hawkins, Julian Graffiti Artist, Quinton Green youth mentor and spoken word artist and Lizzie Hart , Everybody Loves Music group

Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit

Players Lounge

Essex VVU will highlight the work they undertake across Southend, Essex and Thurrock in partnership with local statutory agencies and the third sector, in tackling Serious Youth Violence. The VVU will:

Share their vital role across Greater Essex
Their programme of work, that encompasses a wide range of interventions including sport and activity.
Discuss and reflect on the earlier evidence provided by the YEF, and the VVU / ECYVS Listening Project, which both support sport and activity as one positive method of intervening early with young people.

Delivered by members of the Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit

Knife Crime, national to local

Layer Suite