Many of you may be familiar with Alison following our recent session for Parents, Carers, and Professionals earlier this May 2024. Alison is a dedicated anti-violence campaigner who speaks from the heart, driven by her personal experience of losing her son Joshua to knife crime in 2013.
Her powerful message drives awareness of the dangers of carrying a weapon, whilst also considering the impact of violence on individuals, family and friends. Alison highlights the usage of social media and addresses the myths commonly believed surrounding youth violence. She also stresses the importance of recognising warning signs within peer groups where early intervention may be required.
Over the past year, Oasis GM NAVIGATORS and PACS, alongside the VRU have been working tirelessly to enrich the personal development curriculum for students across Greater Manchester.
Alison Cope has been at the forefront of this initiative, delivering her compelling message in high schools across the 10 Greater Manchester Burroughs.
Her sessions have reached over 15,000 young people, empowering them to speak up and seek support when needed. The impact of this has been huge, with many students opening up and asking for help.
Throughout the rollout of Alison’s Workshops, we ensured that GMP School Engagement Officers, Youth Navigators, and PACS workers were always available to address any disclosures or concerns that arose following the sessions, and to complement the existing safeguarding measures in each school. Many of which disclosures led to referrals into both the Navigators and PACS services.
Parents and Carers were also notified of the content of the presentation in advance and were given the option of withdrawing their child.
Going forward
Going forward, Alison will be delivering more workshops in 2025 across Greater Manchester through the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), in addition to several individual school bookings that have booked her as a result of hearing about her powerful message.
If you would like to enquire about an individual school or event booking with Alison, please click here.
