Working with Young People in the Community is a vital part of the AP Foundation’s work, where early intervention is so important when trying to keep young people away from crime.

• In 2022 there were 13,800 new entrants into the Youth Justice System
• There were over 53,000 arrests of children (aged 10-17)
• There are an estimated 70,000 gang members in the UK, of which 27,000 are children aged 10 to 15.
• Knife Killings are at their highest since 1946 when records began, with the biggest rise among boys of 16 and 17 years old.
• There were 282 killings involving blades, which marked an increase of nearly 20% compared to the previous year.
• 51 of those killed by blades were aged 13 to 19 years old.
• The number of boy victims aged 16 and 17 more than doubled in a year - from 10 -24 years old.
• Black children are four times more likely than white children to be arrested
• During the last year, there has been 52,972 incidents of self-harm for people held in custody
• 40 % of children and young people re-offend

There are a number of key drivers associated with the development of criminal behavior in young people and they include:

• Family breakdown
• A lack of positive role models
• Educational failure
• Mental & emotional health problems
• An absence of aspirations
• Unemployment and underemployment
• Discrimination & stereotyping
• Poverty

Our target is young people from disadvantaged backgrounds or low-income families, those not in employment, education or training (NEET) and young people on probation or serving community sentences. We work with local youth offending teams, schools, police and other local service providers. The majority of people we work with are aged 8-24, although our recruitment is based on maturity rather than age.

Key to our approach is the delivery of a range of programmes that support and empower young people by giving them hope and aspiration, helping them to develop life skills in a safe environment, building on their strengths and interests, growing their confidence and enabling them to become active citizens in the real world by delivering our programmes in a fun and engaging way that will appeal to young people.

We equip our students with critical thinking skills, we offer alternative education courses, we deliver life-skills and money management programmes, we offer skill training and employment opportunities, we provide pop-up workshops and guest speakers, we work with local sports organisations, we also work with their families, and we offer all our students support, advice and guidance for as long as it is required.