​​We, the undersigned, are tired ...

Very tired

We are tired of mothers and fathers burying their babies, tired of seeing teenagers running away for their lives from sword-wielding foes who want them dead. We are tired of watching our sons living a life of fear and pain.

We are tired of the school to prison pipeline, gun crime, gangs, the glorification and celebration of violence on media platforms, watching countless videos of our little sons and daughters getting stabbed and left to die on the roadside. 

We are tired, tired of all of it.

We the undersigned are tired of the narrative surrounding our children. We are sick and tired of how exposed to violence our children are. We are tired of black on black war and kids getting seduced into a life of drugs, despair and hopelessness. 

We want our community to transform, but for this to happen. WE MUST TAKE ACTION. No longer can we sit by and watch our children suffer the way they are. 

We are tired of witnessing the decline of our children's mental health, their stories of death, stabbings and incidence upon incidence.

"I am only 15 years old and I have suffered from depression and anxiety since I witnessed my best friend get murdered. I had no idea that I had depression. I kept my feelings of deep sadness and grief to myself and the feeling of being worthless to myself for many years. I coped with these feelings by taking drugs, lots of fights and living life on the edge" Danny, 15 Years Old, Watford
Our children are amazing! They are the future. They are innovative, courageous and electrifying, our children are the best, they are resourceful and they are the ones that will break generational curses. All is not lost.

We the undersigned, have relied on the machine to solve our problems for too long. They cannot protect our children, some will argue that they do not want to solve the problem. We have listened to the promises of Politicians declaring their plans for a safer world but this has never materialised. We the undersigned, recognise and accept that it is now our turn to protect the rights and futures of our children. The ONLY WAY to protect our children is to prepare them, to give them the tools to change things within their context. 

"My bro got shanked. When I saw the blood gushing from his back I froze! I didn't know what to do, a rage took over my body. If only I knew first aid or something. My life will never be the same" Teenager, Tooting, South London. 

We the undersigned, fully support the empowerment of our children. We believe that we must take collective action. We believe and support the 'My Life Matters' movement, empowering our kids is the only answer. We the undersigned believe that by exposing our children to Mental Health First Aid we can save more lives. One in ten young people experience a mental health issue at any one time, suicide is the leading cause of death for those aged 5-19 so it’s clear that young people need to be better equipped to spot when their friends are struggling with mental health issues. We believe that by giving young people the tools and confidence to engage in such conversations, we can create mentally healthy, supportive environments for young people to thrive and transform. 

We know that so many children and vulnerable adults are praying for better days, hoping that help will show up. By empowering our future with Mental Health First Aid skills our children can better support each other so they can get them to a better place.

We the undersigned, believe that our children need to have a comprehensive understanding of conflict resolution. Our children face conflict via social media, on the streets, at home, in fact, it is all around them. Understanding how to navigate conflict can present them with an opportunity to learn, change and grow. Our children need to learn the skills of managing conflict in their own lives so they can help reduce violence in their schools, at home or in the communities. 

We, the undersigned, believe that all of our children need to be empowered with Self defence. Teaching our children self-defence will help them create a safer environment for everyone, improve their confidence, boost self-esteem, establish boundaries and embed the principle that self-defence is not about fighting, it’s about fostering a calm and focused state of mind. Our children need to learn how to assess risk and how to prevent fear from controlling their engagements with others. 

We, the undersigned, believe that all of our children need to be empowered with Emergency 1st Aid. 1st aid isn't just about teaching young people how to respond if someone gets stabbed, shot or collapses. We want to teach young people 1st Aid because it will send a transformational message to other young people that not all heroes wear capes and even the tiniest actions can have a huge effect on our collective futures. Our youth are not powerless against the changes we are witnessing, they can, and they must play their part in restoring peace in our community. 

Finally we, the undersigned, believe that our children should understand their rights. Teaching children their rights isn't about Police stop and search. Young people need to understand equality, fairness and justice. They need to understand how they should be treated, and how they should treat others. Teaching these topics creates a safe place for our children to explore, discuss, challenge and form their own opinions and values. 

We the undersigned are excited to see all of the principles mentioned contained within a single campaign called My Life Matters. My Life Matters represents countless organisations, business groups, campaigners and professionals who have come together because collectively we are gravely concerned about where things could end up with our children. 

If you agree with our manifesto please sign and share.