London ULT and ARK Academies design campaign to prevent youth crime

Just after Easter 2008, 50 Young, Gifted and Talented Year 10s from Walworth, Paddington and Walthamstow Academies came together at Imperial College, South Kensington, to work on a ‘Classroom to Boardroom’ project.

The 2 groups were set up as advertising agencies to pitch for an awareness campaign, aimed at young people, focusing on the prevention of youth crime. One group was looking at how to stop young people getting involved in crime, and the other to persuade young people who are already involved in criminal activity that there are other, better options.

These were set by London’s Youth Justice Board, facilitated by the Government Office for London, and at the end of the week the students presented back to the panel. The presentations opened with a very moving song, commemorating the death of a young boy at one of the Academies, just before the programme started. And then led to some innovative and colourful, well researched recommendations.