Fight For Peace London
FFP in London has been established in Newham in partnership with Community Links. The project works to engage young people within the community and offer real alternatives to involvement in gangs, gun/knife crime and offending behaviour. Following the FFP methodology, the Newham project has been adapted to meet the needs of local young people
History
Born in 2000, FFP is originally based in Maré, Rio de Janeiro, a favela (shantytown) where children and adolescents are employed by drug factions as openly armed foot-soldiers, lookouts and drug sellers.
FFP offers real alternatives for children and youths between seven and 23 years of age to crime and violence through a five point strategy that offers participants inclusion in:
1) Boxing and other martial arts training and competition
2) Formal and extra-curricular education programmes
3) Access to the formal work market through job skills training and paid internships
4) Promotion of a culture of peace through daily citizenship classes;
5) Building youth leaders via participation in a youth council and leadership training.
Visit www.myspace.com/fightforpeacefilms to see a seven minute video presentation of the FFP Centre in Rio de Janeiro.
