Young volunteers at Birmingham's Springfield Centre have warned that without youth clubs, there would be 'more crime' in the city. The teenagers, part of the Springfield Project in Sparkhill, shared their views during a Red Cross-led CPR training session on August 11.
Youth Volunteers Speak Out on Crime Prevention
Mohammed Hasnain, 14, said: 'I think there would be a bit more crime if there were no youth groups. More people would be stressed.' He described youth clubs as essential for young people to 'socialise with people in their age group.'
Humza Mahmood, 18, added: '[Youth services] give an opportunity for people to go somewhere for a few hours and have some fun.' The Springfield Project runs youth-led campaigns including the Child Friendly Neighbourhood initiative, which aims to engage Birmingham's youth with enriching activities while supporting their neighbourhood.
CPR Training Builds Confidence and Skills
On August 11, the youth organisation gave BirminghamLive a sneak peek into key skills provided at the centre on Springfield Road, including CPR training. Young Brummies aged 14 to 18 attended a class led by the Red Cross' community education coordinator, Selini Mistry.
Mistry said: '[This session] is to give [children] confidence to be able to do the right thing outside these four walls, to be more willing to help people and to raise awareness of what to do in a first aid emergency.'
Social Media and Confidence Building
Friends Khadijah Yasser, 16, and Anaya Adil, 15, said youth programmes at the Springfield Centre 'help to build confidence.' Anaya said: 'I have been so much more confident and have been more connected with the other people that I didn't know before.'
The young women said without the youth project they would likely be 'bored at home' and unable to connect with as many young people. Both noted how 'distracting' some social media platforms can be, and how they can impact 'mindset.'
