article by Katerina Schneider Y12
Following the tragic loss of her son Joshua in 2013, who died at the age of 18 after being stabbed in the heart, Alison Cope has worked relentlessly as an anti-violence campaigner, giving powerful talks across schools, colleges, and prisons, sharing her experience with others in order to raise awareness.
In an interview with The Update, Alison Cope explained how she used her grief to stand up for change. Using the knowledge and pain from her own experience, Cope aims to educate young people on knife crime and spread an important message; not to retaliate, not to cause more pain, not to hurt another person because you’re struggling inside. Alison Cope believes that the most effective way of preventing youth knife violence is by helping those at risk of perpetrating it; her sessions in schools help to bring young people back to reality and put things in perspective for them, however Cope equally recognises that many people are in need of additional help as a single session is insufficient. Cope believes that these issues are instilled in many young people, and that help can and should be given. She calls for long-term solutions such as counselling, mental health services and families’ support for the struggling youth in question.
Moreover, Cope states that a root cause of this abundance of youth crime is social media; the glorified portrayal of violence on many social media platforms, as well as fueling online arguments, confrontation, and widespread negativity, are all heavily responsible for this issue. On the other hand, Cope underlines that social media fails to show the other side of the problem: people being stabbed and shot, families being kidnapped, going to prison and the list goes on. Similarly, poverty, mental health, gangs, and drugs, equally play their part in promoting aggressive behaviours. In environments where violence is prevalent, it is important for parents and caregivers to address the issue and to discuss it with their child; by asking the latter how frequent they believe the number of people around them carrying a knife or being involved in violence to be, the likelihood and urgency of the issue in their children’s day to day lives can be identified.
Undoubtedly, Cope has faced a number of challenges in her journey as an activist against knife crime. The problems which the general public tends to focus on are temporary, fleeting, and constantly vary. While knife crime may be a focal point one day, it is practically forgotten about the next. Public perception of knife crime events being a one off, rare event instils in people the belief that it is not a major issue which is not relevant to them personally and hence is hardly their problem. Equally, many people are cynical about investing money into offering help to individuals perpetrating the violence. Cope is however determined in her belief that helping these young people causing trouble is the only way to guarantee a safer environment for our children and our communities.
Looking ahead, Alison Cope hopes to continue her sessions in schools, colleges, and prisons for a minimum of 10 more years. Her long-term aim is to make the UK government perceive knife crime as a priority and to consequently make it a part of the national curriculum in education systems across the country, as educating all young people on the matter is crucial to ensure the prevention of such violence.
For further information on the matter, please watch the video of our interview with Alison Cope: