Merseyside Young Transformers Programme
The Merseyside Young Transformers Programme (MYT) is a partnership, headed by Community Foundation for Merseyside, allowing individuals, businesses and organisations to support communities as they tackle the causes of anti-social behaviour, gang culture and crime.
MYT was developed following two successful funding programmes delivered on behalf of Merseyside Police. Combined, the programmes worked with around 10,000 young people and showed a correlation between the provision of diversionary activities and a reduction in anti-social behaviour.
The ensuing MYT pilot saw Community Foundation for Merseyside distribute grants on behalf of the Home Office’s Tackling Gangs Action Programme (TGAP). In May 2008, funding was provided to seven groups to help transform the lives of young people at risk of involvement in gangs. In one case, 30% of participants (all of whom were repeat offenders) went on to additional training or employment.
Having delivered such targeted funding, the Merseyside Young Transformers Programme was seen as the perfect vehicle to support Merseyside Police’s work on the Home Office’s Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP).
MYT’s community approach was ideal for establishing young people’s perceptions of knife crime. In December 2008, six community groups across Merseyside received funding to collect questionnaires - with each group adding extra value by raising awareness of knife-crime, developing skills or helping build community cohesion.
The TKAP survey provides an excellent opportunity for the voices of young people to be considered and the consultation will be used by Merseyside Police and the Home Office to inform future work.