The streets of many of our cities last August, particularly
in London, substituted as a stage upon which certain members of our society
felt it was necessary to act violently. Sparked from angry protests at the
death of a single man, violence snowballed throughout the country as police
were overwhelmed and outnumbered. Unfortunately the result has been a complete
loss of faith in our youth as more than 50% of all arrested were under the age
of 21. Society has placed unhealthy levels of suspicion and mistrust onto the
shoulders of our younger generation, a burden ‘Always A Chance’, the anti-violence
charity at the centre of the 92 club relay, intends to help lift.
‘Always A Chance’ were established in memory of James Cooper and
James Kouzaris who were tragically shot dead in Sarasota, Florida on April 16th
2011. They propose an event the likes of which has never been seen before, a
relay to all 92 football league grounds, covering 2200 miles in 12 weeks from
February to April. Where do you fit in? They invite you to sign up to complete
a leg in any way you can; run, cycle, skateboard, rollerblade, even unicycle if
you fancy. The relay will pass through many of the places effected by last
August’s rioting and provides an
opportunity to unite the wider community in the fight against violence,
celebrating football along the way.
What is it that ‘Always A Chance’ plan to do with the money
raised? They valiantly envisage a society free from violence whilst targeting
the endemic social factors that can be the causal factors for such acts. They
intend to invest heavily in not only supporting the victims of violent crime
but in funding initiatives to allow young people to become a positive force in
society. A cocktail of special educational needs, expulsion and gang culture
fuses to create a cycle of violence ‘Always A Chance’ intend to break.
Their funding will cover three key areas;
1-Workshops and
focus groups to allow young people to discuss and confront issues of violence
and gang culture
2-Projects aiming
to provide young people not in full time education or employment with a
framework to re-enter education or be employable
3-Couselling
networks to help overcome the emotional impact of a violent attack or sudden
loss
We were all appalled and angered by the behaviour of a
minority of our society and those involved will be rightfully punished.
Nonetheless, whilst they will be brought to justice, is it not an injustice
that we do not try to find an alternative to such violence and provide those
helpless with a path to a positive future within our society? ‘Always A Chance’
believe in the extraordinary things young people are capable of achieving.
Unfortunately a lot of them don’t know it yet.
The ‘92 Club Relay’ is a platform for you to help provide a
better future for our youth and promote a society that is free from violence.
Get talking amongst your friends, your work, your family, and decide on how you
can help and get involved. The more people you tell and the more passionate you
are the more money you will raise and the more support you will receive. Why
not set up a fundraising page by visiting www.charitygiving.co.uk, the
fundraising partner of ‘Always A Chance’.
You can also donate to an anti-violence Just Giving text
campaign run by ‘Always A Chance’ by texting ‘CLUB12 £3’ to 70070.
Go to http://www.92clubrelay.org.uk/
to discover the route.
Declare your interest at http://www.92clubrelay.org.uk/contact/
and submit your details.
It is also worth checking out their website, http://www.alwaysachance.org.uk/
You can also follow ‘Always A Chance’
and the Relay as it progresses on Twitter - @92ClubRelay
The 92 Club Relay – Running Riot in the fight against violence
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