Leaders Column - June 2008
Saturday, May 31st, 2008 by mikecox
On a daily basis we get one horror story after another about the tragic consequences of knife crime. In the last week a young man was stabbed 3 times round the corner from where I live and another was violently attacked near the Grapes where I once lived.
There is outrage and despair in equal measure by politicians and the public. It’s too easy to come up with half baked populist measure to counter this problem. The fact is that the problem and therefore the solutions are more complex and deep rooted.
There is a London youth charity called the Kids Company founded by Camila Batmanghelidjh which does the some fantastic work with the most violent and problematic kids. She argues we are dealing with a public health issue NOT a criminal justice issue. These children lack parents who can provide social and emotional support. Emotional deprivation is a lethal weapon. Adrenalin rushes are used to counteract their fears.
One of the solutions her charity advocates is to provide non violent adrenalin rushes for the kids which enables them to channel their energies and frustrations into other areas. I have spent most of my working in and around Youth Sport. I have witnessed many children whose lives have been transformed by the physical exercise and competitive sport.
The London Borough of Hillingdon is accumulating a dreadful record for demolishing successful sports and activity centres who provide just the type of adrenalin rush young people need. Building a new long overdue swimming pool with a grant from Sport England is great but beware the consequences of closing a sports facility which its predecessor helped fund. Where I come from that could be biting the hand that feeds you.
