'TRADE IN' SCHEME

PROJECT X was created to fight knife crime and gang violence in a positive way - PROJECT X is not about fear mongering or scaring the young individuals involved in the horrific death and violence that we see on the streets. We want PROJECT X to be the chance for the younger generations to drop the weapons and choose a positive life through the creative arts.

As you can see from the images below, the direction of which the government and the anti knife crime campaigners choose to follow is pretty disgusting in more ways than one. Fear, blood, crime and death are the only stories we get out of seeing them, no information, help or empathy - And we expect these to help solve this serious public health issue that is causing so much loss?

The one about the parents needing to take responsibly is actually horrendous, all it does it help the narrative of knife crime and gang violence being due to poor parenting instead of the massive underlying inequality issues that the government have put onto certain communities in the UK.

THIS MUST CHANGE.

My inspiration for using a 'trade in' instead of a 'hand in or be arrested' scheme is firstly because it makes sense, how does threatening a young individual, stuck in a lifestyle which involves holding a weapon, wether its choice of being forced, wether they want to or not, they are in the lifestyle, a very very unforgiving lifestyle - And one that if they do not hold this weapon, they could die themselves.

So, HOW does threatening them to drop it work? It doesn't, it simply doesn't. What will they do when they do drop the weapon? live the life again? stay in the same location? probably have the same peers? Yes. Will they be air lifted to safety? Given help? Given opportunities? NO.

Secondly, Faron Paul, a father and a real life superhero who is single handedly taking knives off the streets. Faron, who has been effected by knife crime and gang violence in more ways than one, found himself in the media lime light after posting a video of what he found when searching young teenagers when coming into his daughters, 14, party.

What he found on these 14-16 year old kids were various different kitchen and rambo knives that were there to cause harm or 'protect' as the carrier might say. This was a very good move from Faron, for him and his daughter personally but also to get him exposure on what he is trying to do - which is taking knives off kids.

Faron then started a self made campaign to trade knives for JD vouchers, he takes the knife and the person handing it in gets a JD voucher. it was an extremely successful complain.

Faron now runs his knife amnesty along side the 'Dont stab your future' anti knife crime campaign. He receives 100s of messages daily asking for him to take knives of people, resulting in less knives on the streets, less arrests for possession of a weapon but most importantly, less lives being lost.

Faron has grown hugely and has got massive influence as well as recognition from various celebrities such as Idris Elba and most recently John Terry who donated an undisclosed amount, he also shared Faron's social media and message on his social media which is a massive thing.

A quote from Idris Elba from the interview he did in the video above:

"I think there needs to be a closer look at what happens when kids from school gets excluded, if there is no where to go to take their mind, safety away from whatever beefs going on beef or post code wars or so called gang wars - Where they can go away from it. what are they supposed to do? The government need to have a close look at that.”

It is so important that big big figures in our society such as Idris come and and question why there is such a big knife crime problem in the UK. Instead of blaming the individuals or the parents, we need to question the government on this issue.

I think it is clear that their is a far larger problem, the problem being ignoring the actual causes of a public health problem like this, we cannot blame the individuals, we need to look at the serious cuts in funding, austerity, poverty and exclusion levels in this country.

Why and how is there such a correlation between kids having free school meals, getting excluded and being involved in knife crime?

PROJECT X will be running a trading in scheme and pushing the trading in narrative to the public. We want the young individuals who are effected by knife crime and gang violence to see PROJECT X as the opportunity to trade in a negative for a positive - A knife for a creative skill, a knife for a creative project, a knife for a new life.

The PROJECT X trading scheme will allow the individuals to hand a weapon in to gain early access to the creative workshops, this is so we are effecting the individuals we want to be effecting as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

We will have plenty of information on our social media and other channels ensuring the public see, we will also have the actual knife trade in points in various areas of London and hopefully further reaching, areas of which are effected by knife crime the most.

(Early visual, this will be improved)

It is important that the trade in stations follow the PROJECT X branding image but that they are also eye catching and not your average knife amnesty bin. This is important as this theme runs through PROJECT X - We are not a criminal charity we are a creative social enterprise business that is attractive and enticing to the public.

Basically the complete polar opposite of the examples of anti knife crime campaign posters i showed above.