KIDS COUNT LAUNCH

2nd May 2006

Speech by Linda Lawrence, Director

Please check against delivery

THANK YOU MIKE, FIRSTLY FOR THAT KIND INTRODUCTION AND SECONDLY FOR AGREEING TO HOST THIS EVENT – THE LAUNCH OF KIDS COUNT.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN – WHEN I FIRST REALISED THAT PEOPLE AS YOUNG AS SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS OLD WERE INVOLVED IN GUN AND KNIFE CRIME, I WAS SHOCKED. AND IT IS NOT JUST GUN AND KNIFE CRIME THAT IS RUINING THE LIFES OF THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE UK TODAY.

GANG VIOLENCE, CRIME, PERSISTENT OFFENDING, DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE, HOMELESSNESS, BULLYING AND ABUSE ARE ALL ISSUES WE WOULD RATHER NOT ACKNOWLEDGE EXIST AMONG OUR CHILDREN – BUT THE SAD FACT IS THAT EACH ONE OF THEM, AND MORE, DOES.

SO, BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, I WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR ATTENDING THIS LAUNCH TODAY AS KIDS COUNT TAKES ITS FIRST STEP ON THIS IMPORTANT JOURNEY AND STARTS TO CHANGE THE LIVES OF YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY.

KIDS COUNT IS NOT A THINK TANK IN THE CONVENTIONAL SENSE. WE ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO DO SOMETHING!

WE PREFER TO THINK OF OURSELVES AS A ‘GRASS ROOTS’ THINK TANK. NOT CONTENT WITH TALKING AMONGST OURSELVES ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT WE ALREADY KNOW EXIST, WE WILL INVOLVE THE VERY PEOPLE WHO HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE THAN ANYONE ELSE – YOUNG PEOPLE – TO FIND THE SOLUTIONS THAT WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

I SEE A NEED FOR AN ORGANISATION TO BRING TOGETHER THE VERY BEST ACADEMICS, POLITICIANS, TEACHERS, THE POLICE, CHARITIES AND YOUNG PEOPLE TO BRIDGE THE GAP THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS BETWEEN THEM ALL.

WE WILL UNDERTAKE THIS WORK ALONGSIDE EXISTING ORGANISATIONS LIKE, THE ‘ETERNAL LIFE SUPPORT CENTRE’ AND THE ‘DAMILOLA TAYLOR TRUST’ – AND I AM DELIGHTED THAT REPRESENTATIVES OF BOTH OF THESE ORGANISATIONS ARE HERE TODAY.

WE WILL BRING TOGETHER THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE BEST SUITED TO DEVISE THE SOLUTIONS WE NEED. AND I AM DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUR FIRST POLICY PAPER IS DUE TO BE LAUNCHED IN JUNE. I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO PETER STOKER, THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL DRUG PREVENTION ALLIANCE FOR HIS WORK ON THIS FIRST POLICY.

UNFORTUNATELY, PETER IS UNABLE TO BE WITH US TODAY, BUT HIS COLLEAGUE AND TRUSTEE OF THE NDPA, JEFFREY DAVIS, WHO HAS FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE OF LOSING A CHILD TO DRUGS, IS HERE AND WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

TO BE HONEST, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS POLICY WILL SAY. YOU MAY THINK THAT A LITTLE STRANGE, BUT THAT IS THE WAY KIDS COUNT WILL WORK. WE WILL SPEND THE NEXT MONTH TALKING TO YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THIS ISSUE. WE WANT TO GET TO THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM AND DEVISE THE RIGHT SOLUTION.

SO, THIS IS OUR FIRST POLICY. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM AND WE WANT TO START WITH YOU. YOUR CHALLENGE, SHOULD YOU WISH TO ACCEPT IT, IS SIMPLE. WRITE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ON THE FORM AS YOU LEAVE THE ROOM AND WE WILL SEND YOU THE QUESTIONNAIRE. WE VALUE YOUR OPINION AND WE WANT TO SHARE YOUR EXPEIRENCES.

THE WORK OF KIDS COUNT HAS ALREADY BEEN GREATLY ENHANCED BY THE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF A NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS. I COULD NOT POSSIBLY CONCLUDE TODAY WITHOUT MENTIONING, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THANKING THEM FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT TO THE CAUSE:

- JENNIFER BLAKE OF THE ETERNAL LIFE SUPPORT CENTRE
- HEIDI WATSON OF THE DAMILOLA TAYLOR TRUST
- SANDRA WHITE OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE
- NIKKI BROOKER OF THE UK YOUTH PARLIAMENT
- AND BARRINGTON FOSTER WHOSE REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES, ENCOURAGENT AND FRIENDSHIP HAS MEANT A GREAT DEAL DURING THE LAST FEW MONTHS

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER PROJECTS WHO WE ARE WORKING WITH AND A HOST OF OTHER PEOPLE, WITHOUT WHOSE SUPPORT AND DEDICATION TO THIS PROJECT, WE WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO THANK THEM ALL, BUT YOU CERTAINLY KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

MOST IMPORTANTLY HOWEVER, I WANT TO THANK THE YOUNG PEOPLE THEMSELVES. A NUMBER OF THEM ARE HERE AND AS YOU WILL SHORTLY LEARN, MANY HAVE HEART RENDERING STORIES TO TELL. NONE OF US CAN IMAGINE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE PRESSURED AS A CHILD INTO SELLING DRUGS OR HELPING TO KIDNAP A NEIGHBOUR.

BUT THAT IS JUST WHAT SOME OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FORCED TO DO. THEIR EXPERIENCES TELL THEIR OWN STORY AND I AM SURE THAT YOU WILL AGREE WITH ME THAT THEIR COURAGE IS TRULY INSPIRATIONAL.

WE ALL KNOW THAT THERE IS A GREAT DEAL TO BE DONE. I AM HERE TO PLEDGE MYSELF TO THIS WORK AND I AM DELIGHTED THAT SO MANY OF YOU ARE HERE TO DO LIKEWISE.

IN A FEW YEARS TIME WHEN OUR WORK HAS SAVED LIVES, PREVENTED DRUG ABSUE, KEPT YOUNG PEOPLE OUT OF JAIL AND AWAY FROM GUN AND KNIFE CRIME, ENCOURAGED BETTER FOSTERING AND ADOPTION, AND REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE – YOU CAN ALL SAY THAT YOU WERE THERE AT THE START.

THE START IS NOW.

THANK YOU.

| back to Launch Programme