11 year old young person needed to develop and awareness of the risks, dangers and consequences of anti-social behaviour, inappropriate behaviour and gang activity.
We worked with the young person to agree some initial goals which were:
Anti-social behaviour
We explored the dangers of anti-social behaviour (ASB), the risks involved in participating in gang activities and how to notice the signs when being encouraged to participate in dangerous activities; such as carrying weapons, stealing from shops and fighting with other gang/group members. We explored this using activity worksheets, real life scenarios around ASB and games that enable the questions and answers regarding appropriate behaviour/unacceptable behaviour (ASB Jenga).
Anger
We explored strategies that may help manage anger better, what makes us angry and more positive ways to react to situations that irritate us. We looked at ways to distract ourselves from what is making us angry – building the ability to focus on positive feelings/thoughts to prevent anger and negative thoughts/feelings taking control. We explored this using emotions and feelings board games, anger activity worksheets and discussion cards.
The young person was much more aware of the dangers and consequences of ASB. He had distanced himself from a gang of friends who were consistently involved with the police and avoided frequenting areas he knew were ASB hotspots. The young person was more aware of how his behaviour impacts others, how to manage his anger better and was more aware of his bad attitude towards teachers.
The young person gained confidence in refusing to participate in any negative activities and to distance himself from negative peers. He stated he feels safer being away from his previous gang friends and feels more positive about not being involved with the police. He feels confident he will no longer participate in any dangerous activities and is excited to move forward constructively.
He admitted that it can get scary when things get out of control when in a gang, when fights break out and that he feels better being away from that kind of atmosphere. YP still struggles with his anger, though he does make the effort to control when he is feeling angry and attempts to implement the strategies we learned throughout the intervention. He is no longer involved in any negative friendship groups, has great support from his parents and is more aware of the dangers attached to antisocial behaviour.
“I do not want to be punished for something somebody else has done just because I was with them when they did it”
