Cricket charities teamed up with the Metropolitan Police Service, the Home Office and Barclays Spaces for Sports to launch a new initiative today (Tuesday 15 July) to help tackle youth crime in London.
‘StreetChance supported by Barclays Spaces for Sports’ is a three-year project being delivered initially across ten London boroughs*. The initiative uses cricket to engage young people from a range of backgrounds in areas affected by youth crime and anti-social behaviour. The project aims to instill positive values in young people such as self confidence, team spirit and mutual respect, and enhance relationships with others, including schools, police and the wider community.
It is a partnership between Chance to shine, Barclays Spaces for Sports, Cricket for Change, the Metropolitan Police Service and Positive Futures; a social inclusion project funded mainly by the Home Office.
StreetChance supported by Barclays Spaces for Sports will aim, in the first year, to involve 5,000 young people in and out of school time across London.
The in-school activity, based on the Cricket Foundation’s Chance to shine model, provides 25 hours of professional cricket coaching and competition during the summer term. Out of school hours, young people from schools and the local community will take part in a three-hour cricket session every week for 40 weeks each year.
The sessions will use Cricket for Change’s ‘Street 20′, a fast-paced version of tape-ball cricket, where each innings last for 20 balls and games last for just 20 minutes. It is very accessible and can be played with limited equipment, using a tennis ball bound with tape to replicate a cricket ball. Street 20 competitions will take place across London, with a Grand Final in the autumn.
England cricketers Ravi Bopara and Isa Guha helped to launch StreetChance supported by Barclays Spaces for Sports, along with actor and cricket fan Colin Salmon at the Westway Sports Centre near White City. Youngsters from local schools were among those who took part in cricket activities at the venue, which is one of 10 being used in the first year of the project.
Simon Dyson, Executive Chairman of Chance to shine, said: “Chance to shine’s ambition, through this dynamic partnership, is to provide opportunities for young people in inner cities. The initiative will help develop leadership, team spirit and mutual respect among youngsters.”
Tom Rodwell, Chief Executive Cricket for Change, said: “This project builds on our 25 years plus experience in using cricket to help disadvantaged youth; specifically in 2007 when we started working with the Metropolitan Police in Hackney using Street20 cricket to help engage with young people.”
Mark Blake, Director of Positive Futures, said: “Positive Futures is all about engaging young people through sports, like cricket, and this project fits perfectly with that ethos. We can try and help young people to become valuable members of their communities.”
Sir Paul Stephenson, Deputy Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police Service, said: “The Metropolitan Police Service is committed to making London safer and it is vital that we work with young people to achieve this. This project provides an added opportunity for police officers to meet with young people locally and understand any concerns they may have around crime, crime prevention and safety.”
In addition to the core programme, local Positive Futures teams will run self-development projects, with support from school liaison officers, to re-enforce messages about social exclusion, gang membership, drug and alcohol misuse, possession of weapons and remaining in education.
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