Black-led youth violence charity wins national award
Black-led youth violence charity wins national award
Editor 
Black-led youth violence charity wins national award
A Black-led charity which supports the police and local authorities to combat youth violence and knife crime has won a prestigious national award.
Walthamstow-based Spark2Life scooped the top prize in the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year Award at the third annualSkills for Justice – Inspire Justice Awards.
Created by Dez Brown in 2006, Spark2Life has helped 36,822 young people to the exit gang lifestyle and stay safe from criminal exploitation. In the last year alone, the charity has worked with 5,503 children and young people - 90% of whom have avoided reoffending.
Founder Dez set up the charity following his experiences with the criminal justice system having been in prison in the early 90s. Speaking at the awards, he said:
“This award feels very humbling. It’s encouraging. It puts a spotlight on us as a charity and the work that we're doing, especially around inclusion and diversity and I think it just kind of highlights that we're not just about delivering service to the service users, but also to our team.
"I think in the third sector you do what you do because you're passionate about it. I think when your work is recognised it encourages you. Being a grassroots organisation it’s helpful because it kind of highlights, not only amongst your team or amongst your peers what you're doing, but also potentially further afield.”
Spark2Life maintains strong working relationships with the Ministry of Justice and the Greater London Authority to deliver its programmes and has a long history of contributing to local community safety strategies including the Mayor of London’s ‘New Deal for Young People’.
The Inspire Justice Awards is the UK’s only awards programme dedicated to recognising the achievements of the entire justice sector. Organised by Skills for Justice, the awards are supported by BT, PeoplePlus, UNISON, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, HM Courts & Tribunals Service and SFJ Awards. To find out more visit:
www.skillsforjustice.org.uk/inspire-justice-awards
About Skills for Justice
Skills for Justice, a not-for-profit organisation committed to the development of an improved and sustainable workforce across the UK’s Justice, Fire and Rescue, Local Government and Armed Forces sectors. Established in 2004 as the Sector Skills Council for the UK justice sector, Skills for Justice work to inform policy and industry standards, whilst focusing on the improvement of service delivery across all the sectors they operate in.
Visit: skillsforjustice.org.uk
About Inspire Justice Awards
The Inspire Justice Awards celebrates the essential contribution of the wider justice workforce.
Back for their third year, the Inspire Justice Awards are bigger than ever, with the addition of three new award categories.
Inspire Justice Awards is supported by UNISON, People Plus Group, SFJ Awards, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and more.
To find out more visit: skillsforjustice.org.uk/inspire-justice-awards
