Working to equip and empower young people and communities to help reduce violence and build safer neighbourhoods is at the heart of what we do as a VRP.
We understand that at the roots of sustainable and positive change are trusted relationships and equal partnerships between local people and the organisations that work with them. Unless community members are valued and involved in the journey, we will not see the long-term reduction in violence that we all want. That’s why we are providing meaningful opportunities for young people, faith groups, residents and businesses, with a shared ambition to reduce violence, to come together and shape our work as a Partnership.
We believe that everyone has skills and talents that are valuable to the work of reducing violence; everyone has a role to play. We want to learn from each other and share best practice about what works to prevent violence. The Faith and Communities workstream oversees regional networks such as the Faith Alliance and Youth Assembly, but also supports local stakeholder networks, all committed to growing a movement for greater peace in the West Midlands.
In practical terms, this means we are:
- Raising awareness of the root causes of violence affecting young people and helping communities to understand the role they can play in preventing violence.
- Helping communities to recognise the many skills, assets and resources they already have that can help tackle violence.
- Training faith leaders to better understand vulnerability and trauma, and how they can respond in a trauma-informed, culturally competent way to the people they serve.
- Publishing resources to increase awareness among the public of the role of faith communities in preventing violence.
- To establish sustainable and meaningful channels for young people to share their voice and shape the VRP’s work.
- Learning from other areas of the country and sharing good practice.
There is always space for more people at this table. To get involved, please contact the Violence Reduction Partnership [email protected]
