Acting on vaping in response to the Listening Project
During last year’s Listening Project, and at the Youth Voice Day in October, Essex young people shared concerns around vaping and feeling unsafe due to some of the associated behaviour around it such as antisocial behaviour. The young people had suggestions and produced action points about what they wanted to see change. It is great […]
Steering young people away from knife crime
Shows like the hit Netflix series Adolescence have put the spotlight on the issue of knife crime in 2025. Alongside our partners at Essex Police, we understand how children and young people interact with the police, and how any experience with the criminal justice system, will shape them and have far-reaching implications – not just […]
Sceptre – Knife Crime Intensification Week: 19 – 25 May 2025
Today sees the start of Sceptre Week – a national intensification week focusing on knife crime. We, along with our Violence and Vulnerability Partners, have a wide range of activities happening throughout the week to highlight the dangers of carrying a knife. Essex Police are carrying out knife sweeps, retailer engagement and deploying Knife Arches […]
Online violence a reality for Essex Young People
As part of our Listening work, we recently ran a short survey on social media, asking young people about their experience of seeing violence online. A staggering 75% of young people surveyed had seen content of serious violence when on social media channels. Of the 75% of young people who had seen serious violence online, […]
18 organisations to be funded through our 25/26 community grant
Young people in every district and borough across Essex are set to benefit from increased youth provision thanks to the Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit (VVU) awarding grants totalling more than £307,000 to 18 Essex-based charities. The grants have been given to a wide range of organisations across the county and will enable local charities […]
New films celebrate positive outcomes for young people
We have just released some new films that showcase the variety of support the VVU, its partners, and funded organisations, offer to children, young people and their parents across the county. Using four different films, we show the way young people are supported to turn their lives around or avoid making bad decisions, thanks to […]
