The Peacce Alliance
The Peace Alliance
The Peace Alliance
The Peace Alliance
The Peace Alliance

INITIATIVES

 

Metropolitan Police Commanders and various leading political figures. This year, we encourage everyone to celebrate Peace Week in their local communities.

PEACE WEEK AND AWARDS

Established in September 2001 the annual Week of Peace event has established itself as a community event and is a week of community-orientated activities promoting peace, community safety and racial harmony. Each year has involved up to 2,000 people, young and old attending various events including community competitions for young people, talent shows and concerts, praying at known crime hotspots, a much-celebrated Peace Walk involving different community groups with speeches given by well-known leaders of the Community and national and local politicians touching on the issues of violent crime, drug use and community safety. 

The London Leadership and Peace Awards recognise members of the community who have demonstrated an exemplary aptitude for building stronger, safer and inclusive communities. Nomination and award winners have come from Londoners from all walks of life including, young people, community activists, corporate leaders, police officers, faith leaders, youth projects, hospitals and many other inspirational individuals and groups. The event is regularly hosted at prominent Central London hotels and both the Week of Peace and the Awards Dinner has continually been endorsed by the Prime Minister, Home Secretaries, Metropolitan Police Commanders and various leading political figures. This year we encourage everyone to celebrate Peace Week in their local communities.

MODERN DAY SLAVERY

Human trafficking and Modern Slavery are prevalent on the streets of London, yet the local community is not generally aware of this pervasive crime.
Worldwide reports show that more than 40 million people are the victims of Modern Day Slavery. The estimated number of suspected victims of trafficking and modern slavery in Great Britain has risen from 13,000 in 2013 to more than 136,000 in 2018, with the largest number of slaves in the UK being British Citizens.

Modern Day Slaves are often hidden in plain sight, with some forced to work long hours for little or no pay at cheap car washes, nail salons and in the construction industry. Organ harvesting and enforced criminality are also prevalent on our streets with a growing number of British children groomed into drug trafficking. There is evidence to suggest many of the serious assaults and murders of our young people are in fact the results of Modern Slavery Gangs punishing those that try to escape.

Statistics

Statistics show that these gangs are well organized, with the crime on the increase because it carries limited risk. As a result, no one is exempt from being targeted by ruthless trafficking gangs, whose business is to commodify human beings.

Suspected victims of tracking (GB)

%

Rise since 2013

REPORT

The Peace Alliance has resolved to confront Modern Day Slavery head on by bringing it to the fore of our agenda for London. Through undertaking detailed research and compiling a report, we will identify:

  • All the impacts of MDS on London society
  • The geographical hotspots for Human Trafficking
  • The activities that lead to enslavement of London citizens

The report will propose solutions that tackle these issues and lay the foundation for a MDS and Human Trafficking charter for London that all stakeholder groups will be invited to join.

PREVENTION

The Peace Alliance will endeavour to promote awareness through Events, Press and Media Support with the sole aim of illuminating the problem of trafficking to make it difficult for these gangs to perpetrate slavery in London.

It is only through collaboration between the community, the private sector, NGOs, statutory agencies, faith groups and government that we will finally eradicate this crime.

YOUNG PEACE CHAMPIONS

WHAT IS YOUNG PEACE CHAMPIONS?

The Young Peace Champions Programme is a Personal Development course that aims to support NEET, BME or other unrepresented unemployed young people or those who have little or no qualifications, by delivering comprehensive learning and development programmes for social and personal development. The programme provides the necessary learning environment and motivation to support these learners into long term, sustainable, employment.

TESTIMONIALS

“I plan to enrol at college, qualify and then go on to University. I want to take steps to improve myself to be a better parent to my children, start planning to start my own business and read more books to gain knowledge. I’ve learnt never to give up even when life gets tough”

“My main achievement during this programme would be realising my potential. I came out of prison onto this programme and it has completely changed my thinking. I’m now thinking out of the box. I’ve learnt the importance of ideas and more importantly, that my ideas can be turned into a business and career. I’m leaving the programme now with the intention of setting up my own business alongside another YPC member”

CLEAN SWEEP

By getting residents to volunteer to be part of a Community Clean-up team to work in specific areas in their community, and in doing so, offer a framework and platform for future partnership, the project aims to foster closer relationships between residents, local businesses, schools, faith groups, community and statutory organisations and youth groups.

The project kicked off in Bruce Grove, a ward in Haringey on the 18th -23rd of October 2010 and another was held in Stroud Green from the 13th – 19th of November 2010 in partnership with the Haringey and Islington councils.

TPA Untouchable

Gun crime has become a regular feature in tabloid headlines, raising concerns on its devastating impact in society which resound from parliament to local communities.

The misfortune of burying young people whose lives have been lost to gun crime and the chain of pain caused by this ill is carried by the words of family members left to mourn the loss of their loved ones.

The Peace Alliance produced a 10-lesson educational resource pack as a complementary tool to be used along side the “Untouchable?” 19 minute video/DVD. In this we hope to stimulate discussions both about the perception and reality of gun crime and its impact in local communities, through a range of active learning approaches.

Young people are encouraged to explore their own values and attitudes in relation to this topic. This highly sought after resource pack is one of the various responses to enable teachers to facilitate a robust debate and learning opportunity for young people.

WHAT’S THE POINT?

Most people do not carry a knife but the few that do, puts everyone at risk of injury or even death including themselves. The “What’s The Point?” campaign originates from recognition of the misery and pain that knife crime brings to individuals, families and communities. The campaign consisted of educational materials, publicity campaigns, presentations to young people and related websites with information on knife crime and signposts information on who to speak to if yourself or another person maybe at risk
This year we are reintroducing the What’s the Point comic into school curriculums for ages 11 – 14 and using it to guide youth through the various challenges they face as they mature, teaching them:

  • Emotional control & intelligence
  • Building Resilience
  • Mental Health Literacy
  • Effective Decision- Making
  • Dealing with relationships and empathy
  • Consequences of crime / decisions
  • Career Development

These lessons are delivered by our Peace Champions who have often come from similar backgrounds, thus allowing students to easily identify with them, increasing the effectiveness of the lessons. Our aim is to dissuade and prevent as many young people as possible from engaging in knife crime and support the development of key life skills that they will use throughout their lives.

EX-IT

 

Building on the success of our Young Peace Champions initiative, Exit seeks to change mindsets, build confidence, develop critical skills and create economic opportunities for young people not in education, employment or training, ex-offenders and long-term welfare recipients.

 

 

Exit aims to transform people’s lives, (re)integrate individuals into work and society, reduce levels of crime and reoffending, and (re)build understanding and commitment to active upright citizenship. The beneficiaries of the programme are among the most disadvantaged and marginalised individuals in London.

BRACE

BRACE (Building Relationships Amongst Cultures Everywhere) is an initiative started by the students at CONEL to tackle cultural conflict and to build bridges between people. The purpose of this alliance is to resolve conflict and other issues by educating each ethnic group about the others.

The organisation was formed in 2005 when an altercation at the college led to tensions arising between Turkish students and black students which was having an effect on the relationship between the black and Turkish people in the wider community. Eventually, through mediation, the tension slowly dissolved, but the students felt that in order to keep the peace they would form an alliance of students from different ethnic backgrounds.

The aims of BRACE are:

 

  1. Build links between young people from different backgrounds
  2. Encourage people to acknowledge, discuss and appreciate their differences, and to prevent relations between communities, and individuals being harmed by ignorance, prejudice and fear.
    3. Improve life skills and leadership skills of young people
  3. Give young people a sense of ownership for they community
  4. The sessions should also build confidence and the aspirations of the young people involved.

INSIDE OUT

Inside Out is a program aimed at young people from 11- 25 years of age, with the focus of empowering and developing them with facts and information that is relative and often life changing from team members that comprises of a wealth of experience, skills, and background from all walks of life.

The program tackles a whole host of issues that young offenders may experience, such as; stop and search (what are your rights ), life skills (personal development), what do many parents feel and experience when their son/ daughter ends up having to serve a sentence, work experience and employment for ex-offenders, mentoring and how to stop re-offending and much more.

LET’S TALK

Let’s talk is a partnership between the community and faith-based organisations which encouraged young people to join the discussion around youth-based crime. We drew on tools from previous Peace Alliance Initiatives such as “What’s the point?” and “Untouchable” in order to fuel the conversations and explore young people’s understanding of the challenges of youth-based crime.

The aim of this initiative was to bring young people into the discussion and involve them in coming up with solutions to these issues. By doing this, we were also able to question young people’s key values and address their insensitivity to crime.

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Endorsements

Endorsements

I would like to send my best wishes and support on the occasion of Haringey Peace Alliance’s first Week of Peace. At a time when the international community is still reeling from last week’s shocking events in New York, it is all the more appropriate that the people of Haringey are coming together to pray for peace and remember those who lost their lives.

As we all try to come terms with this tragedy I hope the new partnership between faith groups, the police and the community achieves its aim of working for harmony in this area of London.

I wish the Haringey Peace Alliance every success in their efforts to promote peace and good citizenship in the borough during the Week of Peace.

- Tony Blair

It seems to me that the desire to achieve a greater measure of ‘peace’ in the places in the places where we live and work represents an ambition that all right-minded people can share. I commend ‘The Peace Week’ as an outstanding example of local communities working together in response to issues that concern us all

- Sir John Stevens

The Home Office is pleased to support the London Week of Peace and the Peace Awards. There are many people who work tirelessly in our communities to help young people, often with little recognition. The Peace Awards are an excellent way of demonstrating that their efforts do not go unnoticed or unappreciated and all those nominated can be extremely proud of what they have achieved.

- Charles Clarke

I am proud to support London Peace of Week, which promotes peace and attempts to reduce crime and the fear of crime by working in partnership with all London’s diverse communities. London Peace Week is an opportunity for all Londoners to engage in crime reduction activities. There has never been a more important time than now to show a London United in its desire to live in peace and safety.

- Ken Livingston

I am delighted to give my support to the London Week of Peace which aims to bring the people of our capital city together to help create stronger and safer communities. It provides a chance to celebrate the work done by so many individuals and voluntary groups for the good of others, but is also a unique opportunity to develop new ways of working together to improve the lives of those living in London.

- The RT. Hon. Gordon Brown

As we all work together to tackle crime, the London Week of Peace demonstrates how events such as this can provide a common purpose, and a focus for engagement for people from all backgrounds. The London Week of Peace also provides an opportunity to recognise those who work so hard to support communities. The Peace Awards demonstrates how much the local organisations are appreciated for their works in supporting communities, and in helping to make them safer. I wish you every success for the London Week of Peace.

 

- The Rt. Hon. Jacqui Smith

I am delighted to send my best wishes to everyone involved in this year’s London Week of Peace. It is about people stepping up to the plate and playing their parts in improving the communities in which they live. And it has made a real difference.

 

- The Rt. Hon. David Cameron

The Week of Peace represents a unique opportunity for London’s communities to reach out and celebrate the work that so many individuals, groups and agencies perform for the benefit of others. Raising the profile of Community Safety and cohesion in response to issues of violence is crucial.

 

- Sir Ian Blair

London is a fantastic city to live in, work and visit and this is down to the dynamism and sacrifice of Londoners and London organisations. That is why I am delighted to be supporting this year’s London Leadership and Peace Awards and I would like to thank the Peace Alliance for organising such a worthy event to showcase the best of London. All of the nominees have worked tirelessly to make London the wonderful city that it is and for that I am tremendously grateful. You have all made a huge difference and tonight we celebrate your achievements.

 

- Boris Johnson

I am pleased to provide a message for this year’s London Leadership and Peace Awards.

The Government is determined to do all it can to break the cycle of serios violence that devastates the lives of individuals, families and communities, but the cannot be done without organisations like yours that bring us all together.

I hope that his event gives you all the chance to reflect and celebrate the unwavering commitment and tireless effort of those that support individuals, families and communities as they strive to bring about peace.

I would like to congratulate all the winners and nominees of tonight’s awards, and wish all the best as you continue this important work

 

- The Rt. Hon. Theresa May

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