Tackling Youth Crime by Raising Aspirations

Crime and Incident Statistics for Suffolk show that in 2019 almost 3000 crimes were committed where the identified culprit was under the age of 18.

With crime rates bearing a strong connection with youth unemployment and a higher proportion of those with knife offences being excluded from school, our charity is tackling the issue through early intervention and a range of positive engagement schemes.

Our free Turn Up and Play sessions for 5 – 11-year-olds give children the opportunity to learn vital skills through a range of activities, including sport. By engaging children early and teaching them to problem solve, work as a team, and communicate effectively, we hope to prepare them to navigate challenges and make good decisions as they mature.

We also offer a range of education programmes to deter young people from crime by raising aspirations and helping them to find a route out of their current circumstances. The programmes have enjoyed the support of Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore.

Opportunities such as the Prince’s Trust Team Programme, have been an effective outlet for young people to make a positive contribution to their community and take steps towards building brighter futures.

As one student explains, “I found out about Inspire through the Youth Offending Team. I decided to do the course to get my confidence up as I had just experienced a pretty major setback. One of the most important things about Team Programme was it kept me busy as I don’t cope well with having nothing to do – my thoughts go to negative places – but it gave me something positive to put my mind to. The work experience part of the programme was really beneficial and gave me an insight into the type of things I could do as a career. I’m now self-employed and looking to volunteer with Inspire to help other young people.”

By encouraging young people to get involved in constructive activities and to think about their future employment, we hope they will make good life choices as they enter adulthood.

Terry Baxter, CEO of Inspire, says, “With more young people facing unemployment than ever before, it is vitally important that we continue our work to keep them out of harm, out of trouble and support them to make a positive contribution to our community.”

Inspire offers a range of courses throughout Suffolk for young people who are not in work, education, or training. Our free to access Turn Up and Play sessions are available during term time at our Lindbergh road venue on Monday nights from 5 pm – 6 pm.