Born from the unprovoked stabbing of art student Oliver Hemsley.
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Our Plans

Art Against Knives is currently pursuing two main areas of action to reduce the root causes of knife crime.

OurSpace

We looked to young people themselves to help us seek a solution. AAK recognises the importance of projects that are genuinely youth-led and truly rooted in the local community. We believe that violent crime is a youth and community problem, and solutions must therefore be youth-led and community-driven.

Our response is OurSpace, a youth-led initiative that aims to reduce knife crime by engaging young people in deprived areas. Our aim is to provide creative resources and facilitate opportunities for young people within the multitude of creative industries in London.

OurSpace is designed as a template that bridges the gap between the local community and the creative industry that thrives in east London- we believe it is the entire communities responsibility to share resources’ and sustain creative opportunities for young people, by young people, providing an alternative to violent gang culture

From work experience in a local advertising agency to donating a blank wall to graffiti on, OurSpace provides a platform from which young people can develop their employability and discover the creative possibilities on their doorstep. By providing a sense of ownership and purpose, we work to bridge the gap created by the influx of development in East London which affects the young people who already live there: a key cause of knife crime.

OurSpace’s geographical focus is initially on areas of social deprivation and regeneration in East London but, designed as a ‘flat pack with instruction manual’, aims to act as a template that can be rolled out across the country.

Campaigning

In terms of anti-knife-crime lobbying, we’ve remained relatively quiet. This is because we were thrown into this world through a tragic fluke, and have had to take time to learn our stuff before making a noise.

We’ve been working with several partners to develop research on the issue of knife crime and by, Spring 2011, will have the right team and knowledge in place to combat knife crime on a macro level.

Our aim is to bring the issue to the forefront of the agenda and work with Government and other organisations to remove the culture of violence from our streets once and for all.

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ART AGAINST KNIVES is a registered Charity, number: 1140866