#LVNStopTheKnife

London Village Network team up with OgilvyOne, School21, H&O and the behaviour change specialists at Ogilvy Change to help reduce knife crime in London.

The campaign is simple:  Get Londoners to pledge 3 hours to inspire young people in the capital.

Who are London Village Network?
Knife crime is on the rise in London, in 2015, the number of fatal stabbings in London reached its highest level in seven years.  It’s a trend that we all want to reverse before it grows anymore out of control. London Village Network is a new grass roots charity that is determined to stop this becoming an inevitable part of London life. It was founded by two ordinary women from within an estate community who were ready to make a stand, help give these young people self-worth and communicate the true consequences of knife crime, helping our youth to see and explore the choices around.  Since 2015 the charity has excelled all expectations and the youth engagement has been a huge success.  

London Village Network based in Islington was created in 2015 and has helped young people, across Islington, Lambeth and Brent. The programme is working, so now they are ready to roll it out and steer more young people into jobs or businesses. This is where they need your help. Unlike most charities their main request is for TIME. They are asking Londoners to donate 3 hours, to come and meet a group of young people and share their experiences in either a career inspiring session or to help guide their dreams.  If it sounds simple, it’s because it is. Everyone can spare 3 hours and thanks to the programme run by London Village Network you can really make a difference within the sessions, to help inspire a generation. Interested?

“We need volunteers to come and talk to small groups of young people about what you do. It might sound very basic, but you’ll be amazed at the influence it can have on someone who doesn’t normally get to meet adults with regular jobs” Said Liz Izzet Co-Founder LVN. “We want you to be natural, honest and authentic, so there is no format to follow or rules about what to say. You may have been passionate about your field of work from a young age or you may have fallen into it by chance – either way we just want to hear the story about how you got your job and what’s good about it.”

“There are lots of young people living on estates who really want to do well and escape the label of gang culture that is prevalent all around them. A big part of the problem is the lack of inspiration, young people need support, guidance and positive role models. Many of the young people have good ideas, our charitable purpose is to help them find ways to implement them” said Rachael Box, co-founder of London Village Network. “We support young people by opening their eyes to different possibilities, jobs and careers that they haven’t thought about. Once they have an idea they want to pursue, we support them to take it further through the support of our volunteers“. If you are a young person in need of support get in touch.

Bukola Bakinson Youth Engagement Mentor, keen supporter of LVN and Founder of Becoming Productions LTD explains  "I'm still quite young, and not too long ago I was involved in crime, so I have a level of understanding about the lifestyle; it is what took up most of my adolescence. I can look back now and know that it was the TIME people invested in me that played a massive part in bringing about a change, in my outlook on life and the kind of person I want to become".  LVN is a platform for professional Londoners from all walks of life to demonstrate nurture.

Our campaign
London Village Network has been working with OgilvyOne and School21 on a Real World Learning Project since November 2015. As part of this project three Year 10 students from School21 joined OgilvOne as interns for a total of 16 weeks. The students were given a brief to create and launch a social media campaign for LVN. In the process of bringing the campaign to life, H&O and Ogilvy Change got involved.  
Together we have launched a hard hitting social media campaign to drive awareness and act as a deterrent. The purpose of the campaign is to show young people the harsh reality of prison life and to then explain that LVN is here to support young people to make better choices.

"It is terrifying to think that a split-second, impulsive decision - to carry a knife - can cause such appalling consequences for so many people. If there is one decision which behavioural science should aspire to change, it is this one." Rory Sutherland Executive Creative Director of OgilvyOne and co-founder of the Behavioural Sciences Practice.

Featuring in the video is a 44-year-old man who spent 21 years in prison for knife crime. He talks honestly about his regrets and what life in prison is really like, warning young people not to make the same mistake.

The campaign asks Londoners to ‘Get Involved’ and show these young people that they have a choice. The main request is for 3 hours of your time but there are lots of ways to help including offering venue space, providing much needed funds or uploading your inspirational story on social media using #myLVNpledge #LVNStopTheKnife.

Young Londoners have a choice. Our purpose is to support young people to make better choices, with help from the London community.

Young people can attend our afternoon and evening sessions to be part of a positive network. Find out more at www.londonvillagenetwork.com.

Available for interview

• Co-Founders Rachael Box & Liz Izzet
• Youth Engagement Mentor and Founder of Becoming Productions LTD. Bukola Bakinson
• Educationalist Christopher Jenner Cole
• ‘Person’ featured in campaign
• Numerous adult volunteers
• OgilvyOne Associate Programme Director – Aphrodite Paxinou
• Ogilvy Change

CONTACT: 07943 199814 / [email protected]

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