“Saving a life outweighs the fear of being called a grass.”
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Humza Yousaf will today launch a new resource, created by No Knives Better Lives, intended to help young people safely intervene when they suspect someone they know is carrying a knife.
This unique active bystander resource ‘Nae Danger’ will be unveiled at the No Knives Better Lives (NKBL) National Youth Conference in Glasgow this morning.
An active bystander is a person who observes or knows about a situation, like knife carrying. ‘Nae Danger’, illustrated in comic book style, encourages young people to be empowered to take action using the 5Ds: Direct, Distract, Delegate, Document and Delay.
The booklet lays out different situations that young people may experience. In one section titled ‘About the Bevvy’ the advice is to leave the party, take your pals with you if an argument kicks off fuelled by drink.
‘Talking Territorialism’ covers the issue of gangs and violence in Scotland’s main cities, and some ex-mining and fishing communities. Vulnerable young people can be at particular risk from joining local groups with strong territorial identities and rivalries. In this scenario, the resource suggests friends directly intervene before their pal gets pulled into more serious stuff.
This resource is different from many others that recommend ‘reporting’ as the only viable route, but No Knives Better Lives want to offer a realistic alternative to young people who see ‘grassing’ on their mates as unacceptable, which allows knife carrying to continue.
In some communities in Scotland there can be an unwritten code about not informing the police, even when it’s a serious crime. This can be reinforced by both, culture (‘we don’t grass’) and fear (‘we hurt grasses).
However, the guidance advise young people that in circumstances where there is potential for violence or death: “Saving a life outweighs the fear of being called a grass.”
‘Nae Danger’ was developed with young people and uses Scottish slang. Steven Ingram, graphic cartoonist, drew the characters suggested by the youngsters involved. The resource is aimed at 11-to-15 year olds and can also be used as a training tool for peer educators, volunteers, youth workers and other face-to-face workers in communities.
No Knives Better Lives (NKBL) is a national programme designed to deter young people from using and carrying a knife. It is a youth work focused initiative supported by Scottish Government delivered by YouthLink Scotland in collaboration with local partners.
In 2009, the creation of No Knives, Better Lives was a response to the very high incidence of knife crime in Scotland and the corresponding high numbers of young people charged with handling an offensive weapon. This position has changed dramatically over the last decade. The majority of young people in Scotland do not carry a knife.
The focus of NKBL is on prevention, helping and supporting young people to change or challenge behaviours.
‘Nae Danger’ is accompanied by a series of activities on the NKBL website exploring potential actions you can take if someone you know, especially a friend, is carrying a knife.
The resource compliments the schools play ‘Balisong’ designed for schools by health education experts Fast Forward and Strange Town Theatre, who will also be performing at the event today. In 2018, ‘Balisong’ was performed in every local authority to over 20,000 young people. The schools tour was shortlisted for the Herald Society Awards 2018 under the Partnership Award category.
Launching the resource at the event today, Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf MSP, said: “Our approach to knife crime, focusing on prevention, is recognised across the UK and internationally and in the last ten years we have seen knife carrying across Scotland fall dramatically. In that time we have invested over £4 million in No Knives Better Lives (NKBL).
“The ‘Nae Danger’ resource is an excellent example of how young people can safely look after each other by changing behaviours within their own communities.
“There is still much to do and we will continue to work with NKBL and other partners to ensure the safety of our communities.”
Tim Frew CEO at YouthLink Scotland commented: “In the last decade, the level of knife crime in Scotland has drastically reduced, but one incident is still one too many.
“Work with young people is key to continuing to prevent knife crime. ‘Nae Danger’ has given us an exciting new way to talk to all young people about their role in preventing knife carrying through peer support.
“The feedback from young people in developing this resource has been invaluable in capturing how they deal with friendships and take responsibility for their actions.”
Alastair MacKinnon, Chief Executive at Fast Forward said: “There has been a tremendous reaction from young people and teachers in all of the schools that we have toured with ‘Balisong’ so far.
“Creative partnership has been at the forefront of this project, and we are delighted to see how it is paying off in the response of young people to the play and the continuous development of new and powerful tools for engagement.
“The new resource ‘Nae Danger’ will encourage young people to safely engage with their peers about knife carrying. It perfectly mirrors the themes raised in ‘Balisong’”
Vicki Ridley, Senior Development Officer of No Knives Better Lives at YouthLink Scotland, responsible for the development of the new bystander resource commented: “Young people were telling us that they wouldn’t automatically reach for reporting if they knew or suspected a friend was carrying a knife.
“When they told us that they would rather talk to their friend about the reasons why they were knife carrying and try and dissuade them, it made us sit up and take notice.
“This resource acknowledges the power of prevention that young people already possess and taps into natural instincts such as being a good friend, seeking help from responsible peers, and looking out for one another.”
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