Urban youth work charity XLP to host gang conference: Tackling Britain’s Gang Culture

This week David Cameron outlined the challenges young people in this country are facing, saying “Children are learning from a young age that life is about surviving, not thriving. Gang leaders as role models, drug dealers as career advisors ...”

Youth workers at the inner London charity, XLP know the issues that young people are facing all too well. With over fifteen grassroots experience, XLP engage with some of London’s hardest to reach young people, developing trusted relationships with over 1000 young people, addressing their behavioural, educational, and emotional challenges.

In partnership with the Centre for Social Justice, XLP are hosting a conference, Tackling Britain’s Gang Culture on January 12 2013. The conference aims to highlighta wide range of perspectives to tackle the unanswered questions: what drives young people to extreme behaviour? What makes them join gangs? Is there a way out?

The conference will combine first hand stories from parents and youthworkers directly affected by youth and gang violencewith views from key policy makers and leaders in policing, parliament and the third sector. Speakers will be from a wide variety of sectors, including, Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Chief Superintendent John Sutherland, Gracia McGrath OBE, Director of Chance UK, Les IssacsOBE, Director of Street Pastors and Jennifer Blake, Founder Safe N’ Sound.

Gracia McGrath OBE, Director of Chance UK, said "The reality of gangs passes many people by, they see it as the stuff of rappers and TV dramas. But for some of our kids, it is what they have to deal with daily. Many of the young people we meet are reluctant gangsters. This conference will challenge our stereotypes and delve deep into the complex pressures young people growing up in disadvantaged communities have to deal with on a daily basis.”

Patrick Regan OBE, CEO and Founder of XLP, said “For too long, we have heard countless stories of tragic teenage death and gang violence spread across the media. We can and we must find ways to reverse this heartbreaking trend. At XLP we are working hard to tackle the underlying issues faced by disadvantaged young people. We are proud to give these young people the opportunity to have their voices heard by policymakers. “

ENDS

For further information please contact Ibi Oruwari: email or call +44 (0) 7540 725 290or call the XLP office on 0208 297 8284.

To book tickets, please visit

The day will run from 10am to 4am on Saturday 12 January.

The conference is at XLP, All Hallows-on-the-Wall, 83 London Wall, London, EC2M 5ND

NOTES TO THE EDITOR

In 1996, in response to a stabbing in a school playground, the school’s headmaster asked Patrick Regan, a local church based youth worker, to come into the school and work with their students and teachers to help with difficult behavioural issues. This was the beginning of XLP, a Christian charity that has an emphasis on being faith-based, but not faith-biased.

Over the past 15 years XLP has grown from working in a single school to operating in over 60 schools and communities across Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Islington and Camden. In the early days, Patrick began by hosting a lunch-time club on school premises that taught the kids more about their own heroes, and in particular how those heroes behaved. Today, on a day-to-day basis, XLP has projects working with over 1000 young people 1-2-1 and in small groups each week and engages with over 12,000 each year.

CEO Patrick Regan has travelled to over thirty countries working with and on behalf of some of the poorest communities. His passion is to see children and young people, from the most deprived and challenging backgrounds, succeed in life - helping them to avoid making wrong choices and to overcome the challenges they face - to realise their amazing potential. To do this he has engaged with politicians and gang members, victims and perpetrators, police, councils and housing associations, and most particularly with the young people themselves and their families. Patrick founded the charity, XLP that today is committed to fighting poverty, supporting education and serving hundreds of young people and their families weekly in inner London. He is also the author of three books including "Fighting Chance: Tackling Britain’s Gang Culture". He lives with his wife and four children in South-east London.

Patrick, who won the Mayor of London Peace Award for Outstanding Contribution to Peace in the Community in 2010, is also on the advisory board of the Centre for Social Justice. In 2012 Patrick received an OBE in the Jubilee Queens Birthday honours list.

To find out more about XLP, please visit

For further information please contact Ibi Oruwari: email or call +44 (0) 7540 725 290or call the XLP office on 0208 297 8284.