As the dust settles over the recent civil unrests across the UK, hundreds of questions remain as to the ‘who’s’ and the ‘whys’ behind the rioting and likewise there are many theories and opinions which poise supposed answers. Like many we watched the events as the unfolded on our TV screens and witnessed the destruction in our local area and after surveying many of the wide range of perspectives through mainstream and community media channels, we felt it necessary comment given the work we do around youth economy and empowerment.
In essence, there are two main opinions in the mass media; there are those who believe that the rioting was inexcusable and could not have been foreseen and those who believe the riots were inexcusable but it is the result of an amalgamation of unaddressed issues which have reached boiling point. Both groups are united in the agreement that there is no excuse for such behaviour, but disagreement arises in discussion over how the situation should be dealt with.
The Future Melting Pot recognises that there were a variety of different people involved in the rioting, not just young people and as such there is clearly a web of complex issues involved in this. It is not constructive to demonise and stigmatise particular communities or young people, our approach must involve the whole community taking some responsibility for what has happened and working together to take steps to make it right.
On 9th August 2011 we attended a community meeting at Aston Cross. This meeting was a collective of local community leaders representative of a diverse range of backgrounds with a purpose to discuss how best to deal with the situation. Out of this meeting a list of priorities were laid out, which included , robust policing support, considerations for family values and social morality, however, the most relevant for consideration for The Future Melting Pot was about ensuring we understand our young people and helping them to achieve their aspirations and support them in the aftermath of these events.
Of course, this priority falls right into the arena of organisation and we would like to take this opportunity to pledge that we will do our utmost to ensure that we continue to deliver the services and programmes we provide for young people. We understand that our holistic approach to dealing with personal and professional development is needed now more than ever and we will continue to work collaboratively with organisations who are open to working with us and interested to invest in our future- our young people.