Three teenagers from Southwark have started training Met police cadets. It’s true. This ground-breaking scheme is the brainchild of local London project Elevated Minds who for the past two years have been working with these young people.
Check out our FILMS page. The three guys feature in two LET’S TALK Videos, the first with British rapper Zuby, recorded on the eve of their first training session with Met Cadets; the second video, published on the anniversary of George Floyd’s killing, catches up with the young team after their second training session.
In 2021 LET’S TALK is focusing on Family and is seeking online sessions with parents, children and young people, especially those living in Southwark and south London. See our LET’S TALK Video Report 2020.
In early 2019 and 2020, LET’S TALK ran Forums providing young people with professionals to talk to. Film Screenings in the Autumn showed young people what their peers were saying and doing, such as The Movement Factory and their production “One Road, Two Paths”.
LET’S TALK, set up by Peckham-based Community TV Trust, is a four year project spanning 2019-2022, with forums and film screenings in schools and youth clubs.
LET’S TALK confronts social dysfunction by listening. From a Panel of professionals listening to young people comes positivity, as LET’S TALK Panel members pass on their findings to our elected representatives and policymakers and take back fresh thinking into their own work.
The next phase concentrates on Family, which some say is in crisis – affected by poverty, unemployment, not to mention youth violence and knife crime and the Covid-19 pandemic which has intensified isolation and mental health issues. So LET’S TALK!
Get in touch by emailing: chris@communitytvtrust.org
Community TV Trust [CTVT] offers media training & filmmaking in schools, PRUs and workshops for the disabled and marginalised. It engages people and young people in open-ended creative work, linking Community to Education.
LET’S TALK is listening to young people. Families too. Don’t be afraid – speak out. Anonymity is offered. In the first instance, contact chris@communitytvtrust.org
Stop & Search – County Lines – Peer Pressure – Exclusion – Mental Health – Social Media – Exams
Parents may be stressed or broke.
Neighbourliness can dispel isolation and tackle mental health.
Schools: Build bridges for young people into community.
If no youth club, you are their hub.
In 2020 LET’S TALK brought another powerful Panel to schools and clubs in Southwark: a Judge, schools officer, a mentoring campaigner, teachers, a youth worker, a top Civil Servant now retired, a Stop & Search consultant, a community/Police liaison specialist, a theatre youth officer, an academic, and a filmmaker. There were five powerful Forums before Covid-19 cancelled the planned sixth at Dulwich College.
LET’S TALK big issues
Stop & Search is everywhere. For some it is a regular occurrence. But do you know your rights?
Most view Stop & Search as a necessary evil. It causes resentment but how else do you take weapons off the street?
What if Stop & Search were seen as an opportunity for building stronger community relations with the Police? Must be crazy even to ask that, surely … but actually, if you know your rights, then you can be strong in the encounter. Especially if the police officer is inexperienced. The interaction at the least could be set on a level playing field. Why not?
Where can I get support from?
Trust – someone you trust. If not a parent, carer, teacher or friend, then
- Anonymous helplines can provide good listening and fresh thoughts
- Crimestoppers guarantee anonymity if that is relevant
- Samaritans are always there for you if depression is winning
In 2021 LET’S TALK research is concentrating on consulting with families and young people online. Contact chris@communitytvtrust.org if you would like to contribute.
Southwark YIAG
If you are 14 or older and looking to play a role in local life - The recruitment of young people to join the Southwark Youth Independent Advisory Group remains open. There is an information session being held Thursday 28th January 4pm via [...]
LET’S TALK Video Report 2020
After five Forums in a range of venues, here is a substantial video discussion featuring panellists from the past two years of working around Southwark in schools, a youth club and a theatre. https://vimeo.com/495904895 Contributors alongside the young people of [...]
“Nowhere to Turn”
A young person at Bede House Youth Adventure Project comments in a discussion over who you can turn to for support if you witnessed someone being stabbed. A police officer asked, "if you were in a situation where you [...]
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