Major projects & research

In 2016 we launched the pioneering three-year Leadership and Enterprise Project in the London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. Both areas have high levels of violence associated with gang related activity, resulting in young people at risk of becoming involved in gangs. 

The project follows a whole group approach that sees young people support each other to make positive choices in their lives. We believe peers are the best people to influence each other, challenge behaviour and bring about long-term, lasting change. We are working in close partnership with other organisations who already have established relationships with young people in order to deepen our impact and broaden our reach. 

Weapon related crime is rising, with knife crime, moped crime and acid attacks all soaring. We have over 10 year's experience supporting young people at risk of carrying knives and weapons, and have updated our curriculum in line with new trends - such as the use of mopeds, social media and the changing nature of gangs.

Our work ranges from programmes with whole groups of friends, to training for practitioners who work with young people.

Leap's three year project (2017-2020) works with young women in Lambeth who may be at risk of exploitation or gang activity. Working in close partnership with Leadership and Enterprise, this project will allow Leap to offer services to young women, whose specific needs can be overlooked when tackling peer-on-peer violence.

Through partnership work with local organisations and by building strong connections with young women in Lambeth, we will look at safe choices, positive relationship building and developing self-value through our interactive and inspiring training courses. The project will be aided by a period of action research and focus group learning, and will draw on over 6 years of experience developing curriculums for young women.

This three-year project aims to reduce violence in prisons. Since launching in October 2015 we have researched the causes of violence in UK prisons and studied examples of good practice in violence reduction across the secure estate. During 2017 and 2018, we will develop and pilot an intervention that reflects our learning. The programme will benefit from independent evaluation and the final results will be disseminated to stakeholders and potential partners.

The programme benefits from an Advisory Panel that includes ex-offenders, senior managers from the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), academics and researchers with direct experience of UK prisons and violence reduction practitioners.

The combination of academic and action research with operational experience is an exciting hybrid that offers the best of both research, practice and strategic intelligence.

The number of young people excluded from school has risen by 40% in the past three years – an average of 35 young people each day. Many of them go to Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). We have been working in PRUs since 2012, but in 2017 we decided to take a deeper look at what is and isn’t working in our PRU programme.

We have now created eight designs for potential programmes in this area, which we will pilot in 2018. They are based firmly on the strengths of the young people involved, and are likely to cover conflict with education and conflict and change. We will also explore how we can best use technology to offer support to young people who are temporarily excluded from mainstream schooling. 

Leap’s innovative new programme aims to improve the relationships that young people in care have with their carers and others around them, supporting their relationships to last or, if they must end, to end better. Leap will work directly in the care system training young people, care home workers and foster carers, empowering them to manage conflict before it becomes destructive and making relationships more resilient.