A total of 23 different young people attended the sessions with ages ranging from 11 up to 17-year-old. The sessions were expertly facilitated by Vicky and Chelcey from ‘A Little Something Back’  using a mixture of group discussion and active learning.

Vicky said, “A Little Something Back is very proud to have been commissioned to produce a bespoke project for the young people of Keighley at the Sue Belcher Community Centre. Anti-social behaviour is a major concern for the area and the young people needed to be aware of the potential consequences they face along with the impact it has on the wider community. By providing the knowledge, advice and guidance we are able to better equip the young people for their future”.

They looked at ‘why young people might engage with crime’ through to the subject as ‘raising personal aspirations’ and techniques for how to break the stereotypes that other people set of us. This included discussing the stigma attached to certain postcodes and locations.

During the aspiration's session ‘Liam Cann’, an MMA fighter/Ju jitsu, and reformed business-man, came to chat with the young people. He shared his personal journey from ‘nothing’ through to flourishing as a responsible citizen that is now giving a little something back to the community and how this has contributed to his personal success in MMA along the way.

The young people were introduced to the steps of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which is a model for understanding the motivations for human behaviour. They were inspired to chase their dreams and aspirations.

Liam said, “It was a pleasure to share a little bit about my story with the kids of the Sue Belcher Community Centre. They took a little while to get on side however we all had a good time and I hope I could make some small difference! We talked over the lessons and mistakes that I have experienced, and I hope this gave them an understanding that they are capable of and that they are only limited by their own belief! We finished with some martial arts, and it was lovely to see them come alive and get involved!”. The young people absolutely loved this!

David Wilson, OIAM Community Activator said, “It was really important to create the right culture for looking at the topics we have across the two days. We ensured that everybody ate a meal together. We kept things very relaxed so that the young people could learn, grow, be challenged but in a safe environment, share openly, and of course, have fun”!

Big thanks to: the Sue Belcher Centre for contributing to this workshop through “Safer Bradford” funding, “Cnet Bradford empowering communities” Anti-social behaviour grant scheme 2023, and course facilitators Vicky & Chelcey from A Little Something Back.