0:00:13 > 0:00:15My 16-year-old brother, Ben,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18was just walking home one night when he was singled out and stabbed.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22He died in hospital later that night.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Ben was one of over 100 teenagers that died in the UK
0:00:25 > 0:00:31as a result of youth violence between 2008 and 2010.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Ever since his death, my family and I
0:00:33 > 0:00:35have been campaigning for an end to knife crime.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38I don't want anyone else to experience the pain
0:00:38 > 0:00:41and loss that we feel through losing Ben.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49Josh is 19 and lives in south London.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52From an early age, his parents had high hopes for him.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57I was quite good at school. I was always in the top set.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Going on to secondary school,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I was still in the top set. I was a high achiever.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05But he was expelled from school
0:01:05 > 0:01:09after a fight just before he was due to sit his exams.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12When I got kicked out I tried to apply for other schools
0:01:12 > 0:01:16so I could take my GCSEs, because I was expecting very high grades.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20But no other schools would accept me.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Pretty much, I found myself doing nothing, really,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26just hanging around with friends that was in the same position.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30I didn't really know what to do with myself
0:01:30 > 0:01:35Feeling angry and rejected, Josh started to lose his way.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39I found that I got really deep into gangs, street crime...
0:01:39 > 0:01:43And then I started getting into mischief.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46So, like, I found that I had to protect myself,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49so I would have offensive weapons.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52I'd be involved in a lot of fights
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and I just felt like my life was going downhill.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01There's a charity that understands how easily arguments
0:02:01 > 0:02:04can escalate into violence, and how hard it can be for young people
0:02:04 > 0:02:07to escape from this seemingly one-way track.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12Leap Confronting Conflict, known to many simply as Leap, works with young people
0:02:12 > 0:02:15to help them understand the causes and consequences of conflict,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19teaching them ways to resolve situations without violence.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22The charity runs a series of youth-led workshops,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25using discussions and role-play to teach young people
0:02:25 > 0:02:29about the roots of conflict and how to tackle them
0:02:29 > 0:02:30in a constructive way.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32So can we just get in a line?
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Exercises include exploring how simple changes of language
0:02:36 > 0:02:37can stop aggression.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39You're going up to your neighbour's door
0:02:39 > 0:02:40and you're going to start off
0:02:40 > 0:02:46saying "you" in all your sentences. OK? So, one, two, three, go!
0:02:47 > 0:02:5022-year-old Karl grew up in London, where he was exposed
0:02:50 > 0:02:53to the reality of inner-city life.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Drugs, violence, knives, erm...
0:02:58 > 0:03:01And I got caught up in a situation where I got excluded from school
0:03:01 > 0:03:04and I was sent to a pupil referral unit
0:03:04 > 0:03:07where I was exposed to it even more, on a wider scale.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09And it kind of scared me,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12to be fair, because deep down I wasn't that sort of person.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Leap works with people as young as 11, going into schools
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and communities around the UK.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24We're going to do this again, but use the exact same scenario
0:03:24 > 0:03:28but what you're going to do is start every sentence with "I."
0:03:28 > 0:03:32role-plays deal with a range of issues which can trigger anger
0:03:32 > 0:03:35and explore non-violent ways to resolve them.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39OK, so what was the difference for you?
0:03:39 > 0:03:42I wasn't so aggressive. I was quite withdrawn.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45- When it was "I" I kept calming down.- OK.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Breaking things down makes you realise
0:03:47 > 0:03:50there are right and wrong choices.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53The workshops have changed me, where I think a lot more
0:03:53 > 0:03:54before I act.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57They've made me think before I speak as well
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and I kind of go through a thought process in my head
0:04:00 > 0:04:02of the decisions I make - how they're going to affect myself
0:04:02 > 0:04:05later on down the line, also the people around me.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Karl is now setting up his own project,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09going into primary schools
0:04:09 > 0:04:12and passing on his knowledge to kids in trouble
0:04:12 > 0:04:15and getting them back into school.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Leap sees young people as the solution to the difficulties
0:04:18 > 0:04:21communities are facing - not the problem.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24This is why the charity established its Young Trainers programme,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27where the most promising 18-to-25-year-olds are recruited
0:04:27 > 0:04:31and trained to deliver the workshops themselves.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Like Jerusha.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38From the age of 12, she was a young carer for her mother
0:04:38 > 0:04:40and two younger brothers.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46When Jerusha was struggling to cope, a project leader at her school
0:04:46 > 0:04:48suggested she try Leap.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Jerusha excelled at the Leap programme and was invited back
0:04:53 > 0:04:55to join the Young Trainers scheme.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58So what I see, basically, from this,
0:04:58 > 0:05:03- is it gets them to start thinking about what a vicious cycle is.- Yeah.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08'It helped me understand a lot about my own personal conflict.'
0:05:08 > 0:05:10It built my confidence up, because
0:05:10 > 0:05:14I never thought I'd be able to stand in front of 30 people,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16telling them what to do!
0:05:16 > 0:05:19It's kind of very... yeah, empowering.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23In today's workshop, Jerusha is using a game to teach
0:05:23 > 0:05:27the young people how to escape the cycle of violence.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31The jailer with the empty chair is going to wink at a prisoner
0:05:31 > 0:05:33and they're going to come and grab this seat.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Oh!
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Jailers, if you manage to tap them on the shoulder,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43they're staying in the chair - they're not moving anywhere.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45LAUGHTER
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Jerusha now works as a freelance Young Trainer for Leap,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51passing on what she has learnt to other young people.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54OK, guys, let's call it a wrap. Well done!
0:05:54 > 0:05:57APPLAUSE
0:05:57 > 0:05:59These lessons empower the young people
0:05:59 > 0:06:02to make positive changes to their lives.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06What would you say to someone who kept on trying to escape
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- but never did?- Try harder.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13Try harder? Give up? So why would you say try harder and why would...
0:06:13 > 0:06:16The charity knows those who work with young people directly
0:06:16 > 0:06:18can make the biggest impact.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21So Leap works with police officers, teachers and youth workers
0:06:21 > 0:06:23in the most troubled parts of the UK,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26training them to tackle the causes of knife crime.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29These programmes can make a real difference.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31From 2009, the charity provided training
0:06:31 > 0:06:33to Strathclyde Police around gangs
0:06:33 > 0:06:38and in the next year, violent crime in that area was almost halved.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42What would happen if we just stayed where we are?
0:06:42 > 0:06:43For the past three years,
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Leap has reached over 20,000 young people like Josh.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52I've come to see how he has been getting on
0:06:52 > 0:06:56since finishing the Youth Conflict programme.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Two, three years ago, I was living a quite rough lifestyle.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Now I've started my own business.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09It's in the clubbing industry and it's running very well now.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I recently passed an electrician's course,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14so I'm a fully qualified electrician
0:07:14 > 0:07:18and I'm self-employed and I'm getting paid work from Leap.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19That's amazing.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22So you're obviously in a really good place now.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Where do you think you would be if Leap hadn't come along
0:07:25 > 0:07:26and helped you?
0:07:26 > 0:07:29I could have been dead. I could have been in jail.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Leap has been changing young people's lives for 25 years
0:07:35 > 0:07:37and we need this work to continue.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41As someone who has personally experienced the tragic consequences
0:07:41 > 0:07:44of youth violence, I am asking you to donate to this appeal.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47By giving more young people the opportunity to learn
0:07:47 > 0:07:49that violence is not the only option,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52your donation could help prevent more young lives being lost.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57Please donate, by going to the website:
0:07:57 > 0:08:03If you don't have access to the internet, please call:
0:08:03 > 0:08:06If the lines are busy, please, please keep trying.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Calls are free from most landlines.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Some networks and mobile operators
0:08:11 > 0:08:13will charge for these calls.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15If you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:15 > 0:08:16please make your cheque payable to
0:08:16 > 0:08:18"Leap Confronting Conflict"
0:08:18 > 0:08:22and send it to:
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Remember, if you're a UK taxpayer,
0:08:24 > 0:08:25the charity can collect Gift Aid
0:08:25 > 0:08:29on your donation, worth another 25%.
0:08:29 > 0:08:30Just send a note, to say you want
0:08:30 > 0:08:32your donation to be subject
0:08:32 > 0:08:34to Gift Aid, and include the date,
0:08:34 > 0:08:35your full name and address.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Thank you.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk