Action4Youth Together they enable Breakout, an eff ective, hard-hitting


12-week, anti-knife and gang programme, for 12 to 16-year- olds. Business community sponsorship enables the charity to support schools and communities by giving as many young people as possible at risk of being sucked into crime, the chance to go through the programme. Breakout was developed by Action4Youth in February 2020 in


response to a rise in knife crime. T e pilot was funded by T ames Valley Police. T e resulting programme shows young people the personal horrors of crime through personal experiences and explores alternative choices. Through mentoring and adven- ture education at Action4Youth’s unique Caldecotte Xperience, Breakout challenges perceptions, developing confi dence and personal resolve. Schools say Breakout is essential in supporting young people


at risk and helping them re-engage with education. Students from Hazeley Academy, Shenley Brook End, Bridge Academy and Central have benefi ted so far thanks to business sponsorship. T e programme is being made possible for groups of young


people in Milton Keynes thanks to generous funding from partners such as NHBC, MyMiltonKeynes, Paradigm Housing Group and Milton Keynes Community Foundation. Charitable trusts such as the Peter Harrison Foundation have also made the programme available to schools. Action4Youth CEO Jenifer Cameron said: “Business partners are


invaluable to our essential work with young people. Together we are delighted to enable a successful series of programmes that inspire, challenge and support young people in Milton Keynes to achieve their potential. Breakout is one of our initiatives that is particularly valuable in crime prevention. We know there are many young people and their communities needing our help. Our corporate partners help us to work with as many young people as possible.” MyMiltonKeynes has funded Breakout as part of its


Safe City strategy. Melanie J Beck MBE, Chief Executive at MyMiltonKeynes met some of the young people on the programme. She explained their funding looked to the future: “While providing a safe place to work and live, it is vital that we create provisions to ensure that our young people have the motivation and belief in themselves which will help them become productive and happy members of our society.” Before Breakout Kelvina (14), thought knife crime exciting, but not now: “It’s not fun. It’s a reality, it’s not a joke.” Macy (15), whose brother was in a gang, says Breakout has helped her work towards a positive future: “I used to think that it was all cool to hang out with people who were doing drugs and getting them- selves into gangs, but now I realise that it does mess with your head and aff ects your family, and getting a good job.” NHBC supports Breakout as part of its Our Communities


initiative. Strategy and Change Manager Toni Archer said: “I think it’s a really important initiative. It gives young people that are on the edge of knife crime new skills and new opportunities and helps them make more positive decisions.” Sir Francis Hapgood, the former Chief Constable of T ames


Valley Police is also an ambassador for Action4Youth. He met young people and sponsors of Breakout at the Knife Angel and took the opportunity to underline the importance and courage of business in working with Action4Youth to combat crime: “It’s really important that we have these sponsors who are investing in things outside their normal areas of business.


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Without their sponsorship, without their support these things would not happen and it’s so important that we engage and have that wider conversation. T ey then spread the word to other businesses and that is benefi cial.” A further 11 funded programmes are booked for Milton


Keynes in early 2023, but the opportunity exists to support more young people, more schools and more communities to Breakout from crime.


To get involved in supporting this positive


initiative contact offi ce@Action4Youth.org or visit www.action4youth.org/when-help-is-needed-most


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