Croydon has the largest population of young people in London. In 2017, knife crime was rising across London; in Croydon there were 126 knife crimes, 70 more than 2016.

Amid concerns about youth violence, Croydon Council wanted to unite the borough, give young people a voice and help bring about positive change. At the borough’s first youth congress in July 2017, more than 200 young people attending the event identified ‘jobs and success’ and ‘crime and safety’ as their top priorities.

This led to the launch of the Choose Your Future campaign. It aims to unite Croydon against youth violence, galvanise young people, highlight opportunities for them and support their positive choices.

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