Always an Alternative will launch a new initiative, #WordsNot Weapons, a musical project designed to inspire young people and tackle the growing issues of knife crime.
Founder, who also serves as the charity’s CEO, Anthony Alaseinde said: “Our aim is to challenge the mindset of young people and support them to make positive life choices.”
This new campaign is calling for more young people in South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire to ‘release their frustrations’ by being creative.
Anthony has already helped 30 young people in the city put together two songs to try and raise more awareness around the dangers of knife crime.
He said: “Projects like ‘Words without weapons’ address the issue directly. The idea came from speaking to young people when they were at risk of losing funding for our youth clubs.”
The projects put together by Anthony and his team have always had a positive impact on communities as a whole, with a big change in the young people that they work with.
He continued: “They told me they’d feel lost without a youth club to go to, and we worked on these expressions creatively afterwards as a group.”
One deeply moving moment came when a group of boys raised funds in memory of Harvey Willgoose, a young schoolboy that was fatally stabbed at fifteen years old. This is further dedicated to the charity’s mission.
Anthony said: “I was told the money was raised so we could educate more young people about knife crime and that meant everything.”
Unfortunately the facts remain troubling. Knife crime in Sheffield continues to create headlines over the past few months and has caused a lot of worry amongst the community.
Anthony said: “I feel sad! Whenever we get busy with enquiries, someone has died.”
Looking ahead the charity aims to expand its reach by touching as many lives as possible.
He said: “Our goal is to reach as many young people as possible and have a positive impact on their lives.”
With #Wordswithoutweapons, Anthony is turning pain into power by sharing the story behind the project with true passion. Anthony’s commitment to using creativity as a force for change is inspiring and will inspire many in South Yorkshire to do the same.
Visit their website with any enquiries https://alwaysanalternative.org.uk/.