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THE WEEKLY REPORT
By Simon Payne, Writer of The Weekly Journal
Sun 6 Oct 2019
IS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FAILING YOUNG BLACK MEN?
According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), young people between the ages of 16-24 years old are the most disadvantaged age bracket in the UK. The pressures of being young, materialistic, succumbing to peer pressure, and poverty, can easily result in young people, especially young boys turning to crime in order to keep up with latest trends, maintain a certain lifestyle, or simply survive deprivation in their environments.
According to British Sociologist Twalu Machipisa, it has become apparent that black boys are especially disadvantaged, as they try to fight the stereotypical expectations that society has placed on them. Machipisa says:
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“When a black boy is failed by his schooling, failed by an absentee father, and can no longer attend a youth club he becomes the thing he wants to avoid. Gangs are often the ones that see him and accept him, a lifeline that leads [him] to crime, prison and even death”
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According to Birmingham Live, many youth centres across Birmingham have been permanently closed by Birmingham Council, and although this may appear to have little relevance in contributing to the downfall of young black men in education and as reliable contributors to the economy, it is no surprise that criminal activity has increased amongst at-risk black males, once they no longer have the vital support of youth clubs as safe heavens.
These are the at-risk boys, who have been failed by the educational system, through low teacher expectations of them, seeing them as a ‘threat’ or ‘rebellious'. These are the same boys who are constantly being pressured to succumb to gang activity within their communities; the ones that may unfortunately contribute to the increase of knife crime in the UK, because they are no longer protected from violence in the streets.
Funding ought to be poured back into these centres to ensure that when social institutions, like education fail to look past skin colour, those that are trained to help the disadvantaged youth, have the means to help.
Image of 14 year old Christopher Dayo, who was stabbed outside a local McColl's shop in the Handsworth area.
The recent stabbing of Christopher Dayo [although not fatal], makes him among six victims of knife attacks in Birmingham in the last month. The attack has left locals feeling unsafe and longing for a solution against knife crime within their community and across the country.
26 year old Shumiri Mudere, an advocate for at-risk youth, gave her take on the permanent closure of youth clubs:
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"Violence happens when young people are not given the opportunity to be grounded in something, like youth centres, time invested in educating them on better opportunities, and equipping them with the importance of education. That's how I believe change can come about"-
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This statement only echoes what many believe to be true, that not enough support is being provided to young black men to ensure they take advantage of opportunity, like their white counterparts, highlighting the undeniable truth that those who are left without support have nothing to do but see crime as their only outlet.
This leads many to question whether or not the Government is failing young black males.
Further research conducted by Birmingham Live found that spending on youth services in the city has dropped from £6.3 million in 2010-11 to only £1.9 million in the last year.
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These figures do not imply that fewer children require the aid of youth services, rather that there is a vast amount of young people who need the help, the majority being black boys between the ages of 16-24 years old-but the government don’t seem to see the need to provide funding for this essential support system. Funding could help create initiatives that allow black males to work on their crafts whether it be music, poetry, sports or getting back into school, in order to steer them away from the streets.
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The Birmingham council and Government reversing the abandonment of youth clubs could change the narrative that say that 51% of boys in young offenders institutions (YOI)-imprisoned between the ages of 15-17 for juveniles and between 18-21 for young adult males identify as being from a BAME community.
The recent closing of 'Nine Locks Youth Centre' is an example of over 43 youth centres that have been closed down within the Birmingham since 2011.
Gentrification of youth clubs can have major implications on those youths coming from deprived backgrounds, including a lack of safety that they once provided.