It’s the parent’s fault, society’s fault, too many sweets, the influence of hip hop clothing, too much TV, urban music, or maybe its alien mind control. The root of youth crime is in the opinionated eye of the beholder in most cases. And, in most cases, founded on very little real-life experience of the hardships and trials faced by modern youth.
According to the Telegraph, The Youth Justice Board spends 70% of its budget helping 4% of young offenders, 92% of whom are reconvicted within a year. But on the whole this is no hopeless cause. Amongst the tactics, surveys and statistics are base values that are seeing results, people who care and kids ready to take whatever chance comes along.
Urban Sports
The provision of skateparks and tracks has seen a reduction in overall youth behaviour complaints by up to 60% in some areas. Un-supervised and supervised skateparks alike show a particular aptitude for nurturing responsibility, tolerance, emotional growth and social values in the youth who utilise them.
Art and Design Initiatives
Alongside local artists and designers, many local councils across the UK are slowly opening up to the idea of youth art as a practical solution to urban vandalism and visual pollution. In a survey of a hundred Saturday shoppers in Liverpool city centre, the vote between commissioned professional art and local youth talent swung in favour of Liverpool’s youth to the telling figure of 84%
Clothing design and customisation (particularly skater and hip hop clothing) is proving to be a successful educational approach in community youth projects. Urban fashion and youth are so intrinsically linked as to almost be indistinguishable. Making the move into urban fashion design is an attractive one to creative, eager young minds.
Providing today’s youth with the facilities they need to responsibly guide and nurture their individuality, moral core and responsibility is vital.