A new forum tackling youth violence in Ealing is using its collective strength to address the key drivers of violent crime and anti-social behaviour in the borough.

With retail crime on the rise, last year Southern Co-op launched its £100,000 Safer Neighbourhood Fund which enabled a dozen programmes across the south to tackle the causes of crime and crime prevention.

In Ealing, this included The Young Ealing Foundation which created the Tackling Youth Violence Forum – a quarterly forum which brings together the voluntary sector, Ealing Council, the local police and housing associations.

The purpose of the Tackling Youth Violence Forum is to encourage a collaborative approach across all sectors who are working to reduce serious youth violence.

Despite the many challenges caused by the pandemic, the online forum has been a great success and has engaged with more than 220 organisations which are passionate about reducing serious youth violence and creating positive pathways for children and young people in Ealing.

The forum has listened to the community, and themed meetings on the top issues they feel are contributing to violence in the area, which have included themes such as school exclusions and gender based violence.

Leading on from the knowledge gained in the discussions, The Young Ealing Foundation has provided free training to voluntary sector groups such as youth mental health first aid and systemic youth violence training with a gang specialist.

The Co-operative Food store in Ealing

Rachel Phelan, Fundraising Development Manager for The Young Ealing Foundation, said: “The work we have done would not have been possible without the Safer Neighbourhood Fund and we cannot thank them enough for their incredible support.”

The Young Ealing Foundation is also developing ambitious partnership programmes with grassroots groups in the area and has supported the submission of two six figure funding bids.

The Foundation aims to ensure those working on the ground are given the investment they need to put in place long-term and effective solutions – opening up positive opportunities for Ealing’s young people and helping them to grow up happy, healthy and safe.

The Safer Neighbourhood Fund has been co-ordinated with the help of Neighbourly, a giving platform that helps businesses make a positive impact in their communities by donating volunteer time, money and surplus products.

To find out more about The Young Ealing Foundation, visit www.youngealingfoundation.org.uk/.