Cardiff Youth Service

Virtual Decisions

Cardiff Youth Service offer an innovative programme that uses virtual reality as a tool to allow young people to explore issues related to gang culture, youth violence, knife crime, risk taking behaviour, peer pressure and identity. The programme allows young people to be supported by Youth Workers and provides education, enabling them to make better informed decisions in their lives. The Youth Service are able to offer this to groups of 6 to 10 young people through six creative and dynamic workshops.

Information on each of the three programmes can be found below:

Virtual Decisions: GANGS

Virtual Decisions: GANGS helps young people to recognise the signs and understand the dangers of child criminal exploitation, youth violence and coercion. The multi-award winning VR film educates young people on the importance of making critical decisions and helps them risk-assess challenging situations that they may find themselves in in real life. The film is followed by an extensive Violence Reduction Extended Learning Package. Last year Cardiff Youth Service supported 239 young people through this programme, with 88% reporting following the project they could now spot the signs of early grooming.

Virtual Decisions: KNIVES

Virtual Decisions: KNIVES explores the reasons why young people carry knives and what the potential consequences of that may be on their lives, their families’ lives and on the wider community. Virtual Decisions: KNIVES is followed up with an Anti-Knife Crime Extended Learning Package.

Virtual Decisions: IDENTITY 

Virtual Decisions: IDENTITY encourages young people to reflect on their own thoughts, attitudes and behaviours. Delving into topics such as alcohol and drug misuse, CCE, CSE, mental health, wellbeing and healthy relationships. The extensive health and wellbeing learning package allows young people to explore the challenges the characters may be facing in the film.

Referrals for any of these programme can be made by the Microsoft forms  https://forms.office.com/e/jwKPJBmVbm

Positive feedback from secondary schools across the city has highlighted the effectiveness of the project, which has been shaped using the views of young people. Those who have taken part have enjoyed the programmes, saying that they met their needs of giving them more awareness of the signs of grooming.

Cabinet Member for Tackling Poverty, Equality and Supporting Young People, Cllr Peter Bradbury said: “These new initiatives aim to foster a safer community by empowering young individuals to make positive life choices and challenge the destructive influences of crime and violence.

“Cardiff Council remains committed to providing comprehensive support and resources to young people in our communities and these innovative initiatives further strengthen our resolve to tackle the challenges faced by our youth and create a brighter, safer future for all.”

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