Abstract

How do you break the vicious cycle of violence that affects the lives of many young people today? Transformative programmes can help young people to change the way they think about themselves and their futures, and offer support to help them to become resilient and positive young leaders of their community.

This manual, based on approaches used successfully by Leap Confronting Conflict, is a guide to designing and setting up transformative programmes and targeted interventions with young people. Part 1 provides guidance and advice on developing a transformative programme and demonstrates how it can help young people break free of violence. Part 2 outlines a full programme on building leadership skills made up of four workshops: Leadership, Advanced Leadership, Leadership in Action, and Fear and Fashion: Tackling knife carrying and use.

The manual is packed with exercises and activities and includes full guidance notes and tips on setting up and facilitating the workshops. It will be invaluable for all those working with young people at risk of violence, those managing and delivering programmes for young people, and policy makers, academics and students in youth and conflict fields.

This manual shares the ground-breaking work of Leap Confronting Conflict for working with young people in conflict or crisis situations. It contains practical activities that can be used in a range of situations, or brought together to form a programme of intervention. I would recommend our students read this manual; it will benefit them both in their studies and in their direct placements with young people.
Alan Smith, Principal Lecturer in Youth and Community Work, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
In summary this book offers a repertoire of ideas for facilitators of group work with young people aiming to promote leadership... I certainly am inspired by the strong beliefs of the authors and would recommend that this book is considered by any facilitator of group work with young people as a guide to running a group.
Social Work: Reflections and Research
this well presented book is a recommended purchase, as all the hard work in planning and preparation has been done for you.
PSW (Professional Social Work)
Jo Broadwood is an expert on youth and community conflict, with years of experience in the design and development of programmes for young people at risk and training programmes for practitioners. She was, until 2010, part of the leadership team at Leap where she was responsible for action research programmes and trainer and curriculum development. Nic Fine is a founder member of Leap Confronting Conflict. He has been a specialist youth and conflict practitioner for many years and has written a number of publications on this issue. He now lives in South Africa where he is the Director of Hearts of Men – a community mentoring organisation working with young men at risk of violence and gang activity.