Preventing young people from becoming involved in crime
About Us
Your Life You Choose Brent & Barnet delivers an award-winning one day multi-agency presentation day to deter young people from crime, raise awareness of the consequences of their choices and empower them to make better decisions and keep themselves safe. The project is led by magistrates in the North West London Justice Area.
We present to secondary schools, youth organisations and communities throughout Brent and Barnet.
This multi agency approach delivers a different perspective in each workshop ensuring a complete understanding and recognition of ‘choice’ and ‘consequence’ resonate with all students.
YLYC Brent was awarded Community Champion of the Year in the Pride of Brent Awards 2017. The successful multi-agency format has also resulted in MBE’s for the YLYC Ealing’s founders in the 2013 Honours List.
“YLYC is a key part of our strategy for getting young people to spot the warning signs and not get involved (in gangs and crime). It is YLYC’s multi-agency approach and interactivity that make it successful.”
— Chris Williams - Brent Head of Community Safety
The multi-agency presentation day is specifically geared to Year 7 students. Using the medium of the criminal justice system we raise awareness of the consequences of bad choices. In a rotation of workshops with partner agencies, students look at how society deals with people who commit crime. We explore students’ preconceptions and stereotyping in relation to criminal activity. We raise awareness of the long lasting and far reaching impact of crime on their lives and their community. Also addressing the importance of keeping themselves safe, being aware of their surroundings, speaking up about their concerns and the importance of friendship choices.
The students discuss the life choices they have and the consequences of making the wrong choices. Our programme encourages young people to make informed decisions and to understand they have a choice about the path they take in life.
