The Lighthouse Young People’s Centre in collaborations with Birmingham Says No hosted an epic event on the 29th of February .The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of county lines grooming, a growing concern in Birmingham due to the rise in numbers of young people who are being lead into this destructive lifestyle which often leads towards them being vulnerable violence and harm.
The Event Was funded by the Violence Reduction Unit and was a huge success with over 600 young people attending. Picture a sports hall completely filled up with people from all over the place. Young people, their friends and even family came to see the dance competition which was the main attraction however there was a lot more things going on in the building on this day.
The day started off with music and refreshments in the play area where people came to relax an settle in, at the same time we opened up stalls of different organisations which young people as well as their guardians could go to get information about getting support if they need it. As the day progressed, our guest speakers gave gave a workshop informing people about county lines, their experiences of it, it’s downsides and how to avoid getting involved in it. We finished off the day with some spectacular displays of talent with several dance groups. They gave us their solo and team performance acts as well as a dance off. The building was full of energy and everyone that came really enjoyed it.
A lot of BURN’s young people got involved with helping the event become the success that it was and we would like to thank all of them for giving us their time and energy to help this wonderful cause.