Youth Safety in Camden

At this meeting, I was introduced to the work of The Apex Project where they brought up something very important and not talked about much: the importance of youth workers and practitioners being trauma-informed. They explained how understanding vicarious trauma - the way those helping young people may be affected by the trauma they witness- can make a huge difference in the quality of their work. I found this point to be very striking, seeing as we often focus on trauma mostly in the perspective of those facing it and less often in the perspective of those working to help them and the emotional toll it can have on them. They highlighted how addressing this would lead to more impactful and lasting changes to achieve youth safety and went on to make suggestions of practical ways of managing trauma such as taking time off from work to clear your mind and being more honest with your mental health in order to get the support you need from those around you.

I then had the chance to hear from Mary’s Charity, another charity who focus on helping young people who have had adverse childhood experiences and may be at risk. Hearing about their approaches to keeping their young people safe were incredibly insightful, one of which was installing knife bins on-site across their many locations where weapons can be disposed of without fear of judgement and creating an environment where young people feel supported in making positive changes for themselves and the people around them. They have also hosted summer residentials to Wales for their young people - an initiative that is crucial in breaking the cycle of violence and creating a safe haven away from their usual surroundings. By offering these alternatives and focusing on prevention, Mary’s Charity is helping our borough move towards being a safer and stronger community.

I feel very grateful to have been a part of this meeting and it was very clear to see the thought and care put into every person’s work, as well as the sense of collaboration between them. As someone who has lived in Camden for years and goes to school here, a glimpse behind the scenes into the discussions being had has given me a much deeper appreciation into the work being done and inspired me to make my own contributions to making Camden a safer place for its youth.

Written by Hamdi, Young Ambassador for YCF