Through Unity
Gun and knife violence by young people, some barely in their teens, has scarred Britain in the 21st Century. It is rare that a week goes by without reports of another death. Politicians proclaim the issue is high on their agenda. They say they are listening to the victims.
But as far as the parents who have lost loved ones to guns and knives and gang violence are concerned, not enough has been done. They want the killings to stop; for them, the continued violence shows their voices are not being heard or listened to.
In 2008, two families who have suffered tragedies decided to combine forces, and to recruit others, for a new approach. They are the families of Damilola Taylor, the ten-year-old whose death in 2000 generated a huge public debate, and of Robert Levy, a brave 16-year-old who was stabbed to death defending a younger boy in Hackney, in east London, in 2004.
Through UNITY's core philosophy is simple: to unite families, so their one voice is louder and cannot be ignored.
Through Unity is a coalition. Its founders and members have nothing but praise for the work of other families and groups working towards the same aim. They do not want to ‘take over’, or absorb, any existing organisations. They will, however, work tirelessly to create as wide and strong a coalition is possible. They are united in a belief that education will raise young people out of the culture of guns, knives, gangs and violence.