Sadiq Khan has announced funding to enable an “unprecedented” 100,000 young Londoners will have a mentor by the end of 2024, as part of a drive to reduce youth violence in the city.
The Mayor says that a £10 million funding boost will allow a further 50,000 young people in the capital access to mentoring support.
Those to be offered mentors include children and young people who are not in mainstream education, those who have been excluded from school or college, as well as young people impacted by exploitation, domestic violence, living in poverty, and those involved in the care system.
The Mayor had already invested some £24 million to provide mentoring support for more than 50,000 young Londoners.
The new total package of £34 million was said by City Hall to be the most ever invested by any UK city in providing mentors, and will mean a total of 100,000 young people will have mentoring support by the end of 2024.
“I know first-hand the difference a trusted mentor can make”, said Mr Khan.
“Our record investment will mean that more children, young Londoners and families across the capital will benefit from the life-changing impact of mentoring and coaching.
“Mentors are also absolutely crucial in supporting those most vulnerable to exploitation being drawn into violence.
This investment will play an important part in our efforts to tackle violence in the capital as we work to build a fairer, more equal city for all Londoners.”
The Mayor first committed to providing mentors for 100,000 young Londoners back in February 2022, as part of his New Deal for Young People. The announcement of fresh funding means he will be able to deliver on that commitment, City Hall said.
The Met Police are meanwhile running an enforcement programme called Operation Denali, which focuses on the six boroughs where violent crime is thought to be of most concern: Enfield, Haringey, Croydon, Lewisham, Greenwich and Newham.
The programme has recently been credited with some success, as the number of teenage homicides in those boroughs dropped from 15 in 2021 to 7 in 2022. A similar reduction was seen across Greater London, going from 30 to 14.
