Since the Knife Angel’s very conception, we have always had a singular objective in mind – to bring about social change. The Knife Angel was always intended to educate children, young people and adults about the harmful effects that violent behaviour has on communities all across our nation. It has also helped to raise better awareness, helped those carrying knives to renounce violence as a solution for solving disputes, and encouraged leading bodies to create better initiatives to turn the tide on aggressive behaviour. It symbolises a call for change whilst acting as a National Memorial for victims of knife crime and their loved ones.
Since the Knife Angel’s very conception, we have always had a singular objective in mind – to bring about social change. The Knife Angel was always intended to educate children, young people and adults about the harmful effects that violent behaviour has on communities all across our nation. It has also helped to raise better awareness, helped those carrying knives to renounce violence as a solution for solving disputes, and encouraged leading bodies to create better initiatives to turn the tide on aggressive behaviour. It symbolises a call for change whilst acting as a National Memorial for victims of knife crime and their loved ones.
Social change refers to a significant alteration to the way we currently view cultural values and societal norms. For many people across the UK, carrying a knife and participating in violent behaviour to solve any issues, difficulties or disputes has become an everyday social norm. Without a profound sociological shift in the way we view weaponry as a means of protection, knife crime and all other forms of aggressive behaviour will always be a prominent issue within our society.
That being said, succeeding in creating social change is the most important task that the Knife Angel has been given. The Angel, which has been created from over 100,000 weapons taken from UK streets, is a powerful representation of the hugely negative effects that violence has on all of us. Seeing such a large number of weapons (all of which were used, or had intentions of being used, as a form of bodily harm) amalgamated into a single, towering figure of an angel prompts us all to question our societal justification, acceptance and normalisation of violence. This, in turn, helps us to shift the way that we think about knife crime, something that has become such a daily normality within our society. The more people who have the chance to view the Angel and see its message, the closer we are to shifting mindsets and creating the social change that has now become more necessary than ever before.
EDUCATION & AWARENESS
As with many things, it all starts with education. A lack of appropriate education is one of the most prominent perpetrators of the knife crime figures that currently plague our media outlets, police reports and government documents. We believe that education is at the very heart of many social issues, including violence being perceived as an appropriate and acceptable way to solve problems. As such, the Knife Angel has a become a beacon of education and hope used to catalyse workshops and programmes for young people all across the country. It highlights the reality that aggression does not solve issues but instead ignites a negative chain of events that last a lifetime.
As part of the National Anti-Violence Tour, all hosting locations are required to use the Angel to conduct 30-days of intensive educational workshops and programmes designed specifically to raise better awareness of violence and aggression, and the sometimes-forgotten destruction that ensues. Host locations are asked to utilise the Angel as a point of tuition in order to ignite conversation over difficult subjects surrounding aggressive behaviour, carrying weaponry, and using violence as a resource for addressing problems. The way in which these workshops or programmes are conducted is largely up to the host location and the resources that they have available. Whether a creative, theoretical or practical approach is taken, we only ask that every source of scholarship is used to fully educate children and youth about the negative effects that knife crime and violent behaviour has on perpetrators, victims, and communities whilst raising critical awareness over how carrying a blade is never the answer.
Youths in each hosting location can take part and become National Youth Anti-Violence Champions. These young people carry the torch for the next generation to ensure the message and education is carried through to young people. The Champions are deputised and recognized with certificates, and are encouraged to educate their peers and to resist violent behaviour in social groups.
COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller
Combining the efforts of the Home Office, all 43 UK Police Constabularies, multiple anti-violence groups, families of victims, and ourselves in its creation, the Knife Angel has always been all about community collaborations. When it comes to every aspect of the Knife Angel, including its creation and National UK Tour, Helen Keller’s quote has never rung so true. Alone, the Knife Angel could never have achieved so much but by working together, we can successfully complete every objective, and so much more. A continued national community effort is incredibly important if the Knife Angel is to ever truly create the social change that is so critically required within our society today.
By bringing together a group of individuals with varied skills, influential positions and passionate attitudes, social change is at its most achievable. Passionate community groups with the drive to create anti-violence initiatives and reap the full benefits of the Knife Angel are necessary for engaging the public as widely and effectively as possible. This is why host locations with a committed, collaborative driving force are the most successful when it comes to raising critical awareness of knife crime whilst creating a widespread intolerance to violent behaviour. Some examples of this objective being met include knife banks and weapon surrenders being created as a result of the Knife Angel’s existence and the introduction of ‘Anti-Violence Champions’, whereby thousands of children and young people are deputised in renouncing violence as a solution for solving issues.
John Campion, West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner said: “As commissioner, I am committed to playing my part in a societal change towards knife crime. The Knife Angel (The National Monument Against Violence and Aggression) is a clear visual reminder of the devastating impact knives can have on individuals and communities.
“I am proud this iconic statue, that has been seen by so many people, originated in Shropshire. I will continue to do everything possible to ensure the Knife Angel remains a powerful symbol across the country by encouraging all Commissioners to support this educational drive and programme. What has been achieved by Clive and the team at The British Ironwork Centre is remarkable and really puts Shropshire at the forefront of our nations battle against violent crime.”
LEAVING A LEGACY
The Knife Angel, although an incredibly beautiful sculpture, is so much more than the artwork itself. We want to create a legacy that travels with and beyond the Angel’s presence. We want each hosting location to continue spreading awareness for anti-violence, and all that the Angel stands for, long after it has left their location. The Angel is a catalyst for nationwide change.
Some of the ways in which we encourage the Knife Angel’s legacy is as follows:
Fundraising Funds: As we try and facilitate as much of the logistics and arrangements as possible, we find that more often that not host locations are left with leftover fundraising at the end of their hosting period. We ask that these leftover funds be put back into further education and awareness.
Monument Design and Creation: we offer to take the blades collected from a location’s amnesty and design a monument that can be a permanent fixture in their location/ town. We have created concept drawings for sculptures for locations such as Newcastle, Powys and Manchester. With these monuments, the expectation would be for that location to continue an annual 30-day programme, ideally to coincide with the anniversary of the Angel’s visit.
Host Report: We ask that every host location produces a Host Report after the Angel’s visit, outlining all that they achieved during their 30-day hosting period. This report should also outline how they plan to continue the education and awareness after the Angel has left them. We will be compiling these reports together in a report to the Home Office, to show exactly what can be achieved by the community, outside of tax-payer funding.
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