Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joins staff and young people to talk youth safety, funding challenges, and the importance of local community investment.
Last Friday, 8 years on from setting up the Youth Safety Task Force in Camden, aimed at tackling growing concerns around youth safety and knife crime, Keir Starmer returned to Coram’s Fields to talk to young people about what it feels like now to live in Camden – and what the government is doing to keep young people safe in the capital.
Joined by Coram’s Fields Chair and CEO, and members of our Youth Team, seven young people took part in a workshop discussion, speaking passionately about everything from girls and young women’s safety; protecting themselves online and the significant underinvestment in youth services over the last 10 years.
Normalisation of carrying weapons unacceptable
Whilst on one hand several young people expressed feeling safe within their communities, several in attendance had directly experienced serious youth violence and expressed their fears for themselves, friends and family.
A standout feature of the discussion was the feeling of a growing normalisation of young people carrying weapons, with one young person expressing concern that those as young as 12 are now carrying knives. Staff across the board echoed this, challenging the dangers of de-sensitisation and the risks this brings to young people by creating a society where violence becomes an acceptable norm.
Lead Outreach Worker Basil said
‘It’s really worrying seeing first-hand the challenges facing young people and the kinds of things they’re exposed to. As professionals we see the dangers of this – they need more support, guidance and mentoring to navigate these challenges with funding to back this up’
Girls also talked extensively about Camden Town – an area they feel least safe in due to the number of visitors to the area, and the late-night drinking culture, with many avoiding the area completely.
Communities and trusting relationships key to building a safer society
A running theme throughout the workshop was the value young people placed on the role of community on their feelings of safety. They highlighted the importance of having a safe place to go that would prevent both physical and online dangers.
Young people also spoke passionately about the vital role of Coram’s Fields as being a safe sanctuary, away from the risks on the street, with the trusting relationships with staff being the single most important factor in setting Coram’s Fields aside from other youth centres in the area.
The New Youth Strategy
In 2025 the government launched their first youth strategy for over a decade and so it was the perfect time for young people to ask questions of the Prime Minister about how this would affect them. Our girls asked questions about what this would mean in terms of support for girls and young women to feel safe, whilst others focussed on funding and how we could ensure that more funding was made available for youth centres in London.
The session ended with the Prime Minister committed to a return visit to Coram’s Fields to get young people’s feedback on the new strategy, and an opportunity to shape this further over the coming months.
Our young people gained a lot from having the opportunity to articulate their views and discuss a topic that directly affects them. They are very much looking forward to having more opportunities to speak with those in power to deliver real change for young people on the ground.
Our Youth Programme is facing a funding crisis
Our Youth Programme works with over 700 young people every year, providing critical support for young people when they need it most. But we’re facing a significant funding gap from April 2026 and need your support to keep all our services open to for young people. If you think you can help, we’d love to hear from you.