Decision details

We have specifically commissioned these sessions via 1Message by way of delivering an intervention to young people who attend this youth club (Mero’s World), following an incident recently where a young person pulled out a flick knife and threatened another young person during one of the youth club sessions. The youth club is run by one of the VRU’s community alliance partners funded by the VRU’s Community Led Pilots initiative, and Mero’s World approached the VRU to ask what intervention we might be able to immediately deliver in light of this incident to young people who attend the youth club, both as a group, and a 1:1 basis when required. As a result, the VRU have identified that sessions provided by 1Message would be the most appropriate intervention, as the individual who set up 1Message and runs their sessions is an individual with lived experience of serious violence. 1Message will talk to young people at Mero’s World about knife crime, exploitation, youth violence, and other relevant topics.

This commissioned intervention will be evaluated within the wider Community Led Pilots evaluation being undertaken by the VRU’s research partner, MMU.

To award 1Message £4,000 for 12 weeks of provision for Mero’s World youth club in Fallowfield. This will include group sessions and 1:1 mentoring provided by Matthew Norford from 1Message.

To date, the VRU have awarded 1Message £3,200 in financial year 2022-23. The total awarded by the VRU to Media and Digital following this decision will be £7,200