• Unity In The Community.
Gang Intervention and Reducing Violence Amongst Gangs.
Registered Charity No.1102708
Welcome to Unity In The Community (UITC)
Established in 1994 Unity In The Community became a registered charity in 2004.
Gang violence isn't just a crime problem it's society's problem. Only by working together can we hope to reduce gang violence. That's why UITC has developed it's Gang Violence Intervention Programme.
It is Unity In The Community's desire to work with various organizations such as
probation, youth justice services, the police, universities, schools, college's plus community groups in an attempt to make England a safer place to live.
Unity In The Community is trying to tackle gang violence at a grass roots level by attempting to deter and dissuade people from gang violence.
Unity In The Community recognises that prevention is generally better than cure.
As a result this programme has been specifically produced with this in mind.
It is also a positive outcome of my own regrettable past gang violence.
The Gang Violence Intervention Programme
Aims.
1: Reduce gang violence.
2: Share real life experiences of the consequences of gang violence.
3: Deter gang involvement.
This is accomplished by the delivery of a comprehensive programme with clear objectives that address the above problem.
The Gang Violence Intervention Programme consists of 8 modules:
Module 1: Welcome to Unity In The Community.
Module 2: What's the real deal - the factual and fiction surrounding gang violence.
Module 3: It's about us - roles and responsibilities of community members.
Module 4: Where do we go from here? Setting realistic and achievable goals.
Module 5: Walking in someone else's shoes - identification of different emotions.
Module 6: Getting along without going along - influences and peer pressure.
Module 7: Keeping your cool - anger management tips.
Module 8: Question & answer session - ask what you want.
The Gang Violence Intervention Programme is designed and presented by Howard Richmond
Swarray who is a qualified mentor/mediator with 25 years experience in the G.I.V.P and problem solving issues.
My qualifications include NOCN Mentoring One to One:
NOCN Initial Training for Mentors:
NOCN Action Planning: Equalities & Diversity:
Mediation Northern Ireland - Mediation Awareness Training:
Mediation Northern Ireland - Supporting Better Relations:
Mentors can have a beneficial influence on the lives of young people.
However not all young people are lucky enough to have a positive role model
in their lives. The mentors have to have a practical
experience as well as theory in the G.V.I.P. for real empathy and understanding
of The job in hand with the hard to reach clients.
The goal of the Unity In The Community Gang Violence Intervention Programme:
Is to help youth develop positive life skills that will help them avoid
gang involvement and those involved in gangs to stop violent behaviour.
Unity In The Community uses a community wide approach to combat the risk factors associated with youth involvement in gang - related violent behaviour.
The modules included in the Gang Violence Intervention Programme: Are interactive and designed to allow clients to practice positive behaviour that will stay with them during
the remainder of their development years.
Unity In The Community Governing policies.
The Gang Violence Intervention Programme: Is governed by a strategic plan, policy
manual, training procedures, and quality review committee guidelines
. Each of these documents is made available below.
Unity In The Community Strategic Plan:
The strategic plan, last revised in 2018 is a statement of the short and long - term goals
of the programme. It contains several overall goals and the specific objectives that must
be accomplished in order for the programme to measure it's success.
Policy Manual and Training Procedures:
The Unity In The Community policy manual: And the Unity In The Community training procedures: Provided policy guidance and help to ensure the consistency of the programme.
Unity In The Community quality review guidelines:
The Unity In The Community quality review guidelines outline the terms and conditions
of using the Unity In The Community trademark logo so that the products displaying the Unity In The Community name are appropriate and of the highest quality.
The Unity In The Community - Gang Violence Intervention Programme:
Components the programme consists of various interrelated components. Each component
is designed to target different audiences. Each component has outlined lessons to fit the target groups needs and skills, to satisfy age – appropriate goals.
Each component can stand alone to teach the necessary skills and attitudes that will help
youth resist the pressures to become involved in gang behaviour and avoid situations that could lead to violence.
Also targeted are youth in and around gang violence. The ultimate goal of each component
is to create positive behaviour changes.
Introduction.
The Unity In The Community - Gang Violence
Intervention Programme modules are a skills based curriculum designed to produce knowledge, attitude and behaviour changes through the use of facilitative
teaching. Positive behaviour rehearsal, Co - operative and interactive learning techniques, and
extended mentor activities.
The modules have integrated national education standards.
Goal:
To prevent youth crime, violence, gang involvement while developing a positive relationship among families and young people to create safer communities.
Programme Structure:
The Unity In The Community - Gang Violence Intervention Programme
modules are designed for young people. Taught in a workshop setting by a specially
trained mentor. The Gang Violence Intervention Programme is a life skills programme, designed to provide clients with the skills they need to avoid gang pressure and youth violence. The programme can be used in conjunction with other prevention programmes encouraging positive relationships among the community. Parents, schools, probation
and the police.
Unity In The Community - Gang Violence Intervention Programme:
Aims:
1: Deter gang involvement:
2: Reduce gang violence:
3: Share real life experiences of the consequences of gang violence and involvement.
Programme Outcomes:
By the end of the programme clients will:
1. Be able to appreciate the potential negative consequences of gang violence and gang
involvement.
2. Understand how to avoid becoming involved in gang culture and gang violence.
3. Be aware of the various organizations that are available to approach for assistance regarding gang violence related issues.
The Gang Violence Intervention Programme consists of 8 modules:
Programme duration= Approximately 1 hour.
Programme objectives/outcome.
By the end of the programme clients will have a more “realistic understanding” of the
consequences of being involved in gang violence and culture.
Module 1: Welcome to Unity In The Community.
It is situations that fester and brew because of people not wanting to forgive for whatever the reason be. Be that hate, pride, not being seen as down.
So a lot of my generation have left the hate and violence on the streets for the younger generation to pick up. So they have been sucked into the negative way of life
and is now out of hand.
Module 2: What's the real deal - the facts and fiction surrounding gang involvement and gang
violence.
What is the real deal? This is experience, as experience always trumps assumptions also it is a ex - gang member looking from the inside out knowing what is best. Rather than a person with no experience looking from the outside in thinking what is best.
Giving the real deal of my life and upbringing in the first gang of our like in England straight from the horses mouth.
It is one of pain, betrayal, greed, jealously, hate and the odd laugh. All that all for one, one for
all is in most cases New Jack City film fiction stuff. Don't get me wrong you have gangs of young men who grow up with love, fun, honesty and lots of other positive factors. But that is down to mentality, peers, role models, and family.
It does not matter where you are from as I know many people who have grown up in violent gang areas but resisted the temptations.
Module 3: It's about us - roles and responsibilities of community members.
It is about us. It is about the community and trying to keep it positive no matter what obstacle
we face. Also as a father we have to put something constructive in place for our future and
children's because at the moment it is a lot of negative behaviour that seems to be fashionable
in our music, sports, role models and peers. I think you are always going to have groups/gangs
of youths growing up together as has always been the way.
It is just about showing them you can grow up in groups/gangs with positivity, love, respect,
and understanding rather than growing up in gangs/groups with hate, confusion, and negativity. If the latter applies I can help them use that negativity to turn it around no matter what the
case is as I and lots more people in similar predicaments have proven.
Module 4: Where do we go from here? Setting realistic and achievable goals.
Where do we go from here? To better and beautiful things if that is already the case then keep
promoting and living that way of life if not then try to take the first steps of getting there. Setting
realistic and achievable goals no matter the predicament always believing in love, respect,
understanding differences, forgiving. Because each predicament is different deal with it
accordingly.
Module 5: Walking in someone else's shoes - Identification of different emotions.
‘Decisions , decisions, decisions’ I have to use my experience with the ‘Decisions, Decisions,
Decisions module in how I have dealt and am still dealing with the pain of losing my younger
brother to the gun 20 years ago in this negative gang violence way of life.
I came out of prison 20th December 1994 after spending 3 years 4 months in prison and from that moment on I have flown the flag of peace and love no matter what my trail and tribulations
were. I helped to bring about the first truce of its kind in my community Moss Side in Manchester. I helped form a football team that consisted of various men from Gooch, Doddington estates and others from Moss Side and surrounding areas (Moss Side Amateurs) we had 3 successful seasons and got Sir Bobby Charlton to come out of retirement
to play for us against a celebrity 11 because he was so proud of our achievements. No longer after my younger brother dies to the gun on the 5th September 1999, then my dear Mother dies of a broken heart the 8th May 2002. So it was a big test for me which I did not fail. I stuck to my beliefs and then formed Unity In The Community as a registered charity to preach positivity helping mentor those in and around my community who have come from the streets and gang style way of life.
From that many young men became better human beings and now are mentoring and demoting the gang violence negative way of life on the streets.
So as long as you're decisions are positive your goals will not be affected, a very good decision making practice.
Module 6: Getting along without going along - Influences and peer pressure.
Do you hear what I am saying?
Putting your story across to the person/persons with truth honesty and letting them know this is real life with very effective verbal communication and my life story and what
it has took me to get to this stage of my life. None verbal flip chart or documents with stats
from the first gang - related death in my community to now.
Module 7: Keeping your cool - anger management tips.
Saying it like you mean it, always showing myself to be approachable, mellow,
and being of assistance to whatever situation I am in and always being in control of emotions as intelligence is always at the forefront of Unity In The Community:
Module 8:
Question and answer session - Ask what you want.
Designed by:
Howard Richmond Swarray
