The #NotTheOne anti-knife crime campaign scooped up the Bronze award in the Education, Art and Culture- Public Service Community Engagement category at Anthem Awards 2024.
The campaign, which is delivered in partnership between the Wales Violence Prevention Unit, South Wales Police and the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, utilises a research-led approach to reduce and prevent knife crime. During the campaign’s development, the team involved community workers, health and education professionals, families affected by knife crime and survivors of knife crime in South Wales. The team then partnered with creative agency Blue Stag to create engaging resources which can be used by adults to educate young people about knife crime, using real life experiences to highlight the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife.
Superintendent Esyr Jones, South Wales Police lead for Tackling Serious Violence shared that even though knife crime affects only a minority of the population, any incident involving knife crime has devastating consequences for those involved and the aim of #NotTheOne is to educate young people on dangers of carrying a knife by giving parents, teachers and community groups the tools to do this.
“When you’re addressing a problem as serious as knife crime, there’s a deep responsibility to get it right. The Wales Violence Prevention Unit and South Wales Police listened to young people, youth workers, teachers and police officers to understand what really causes a young person to feel like they should carry a knife. It was fantastic to work with Blue Stag, who were able to use their creativity, skills, and sensitivity to craft a campaign that directly addresses these causes in a provocative and powerful way."
Bryony Parry- Communications and Engagement Lead for Wales Violence Prevention Unit
“We're tremendously proud that the #NotTheOne project has been recognized with an Anthem Award by The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. This award highlights the power of creative partnerships and the positive impact such initiatives have on our communities.”
Dan Sargent- Blue Stag
Phase 2 of #NotTheOne will be released by Spring 2024.