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Aims:

To raise awareness of:

• how emotional attachments can affect judgement and decision making
• the dangers of young people deciding to take the law into their own hands
• the consequences of carrying weapons and responding to violence with violence

Synopsis:

00.00-06.44

Leah loves Roni - black, older, looked up to. Jordan her brother is attacked for mobile. Mum blames her for not looking after him. Leah tells Roni mum will call police. Jordan won't 'grass' through fear - gang needs sorted.

06.45-12.04
Roni cancels date. Leah suspicious. Friend says he's trouble. Leah investigates. Witnesses fight. Two boys stabbed - calls ambulance anonymously. CCTV catches back view.

12.05-15.06
Boys fighting for lives. Police interview Jordan. Leah contacts Roni. Admits he set up phoney deal to ‘sort' gang. Says to act normal.

15.07-21.12
Mother suspicious - wants truth. House attacked. Gang threatens Leah. Roni regrets situation - can't change it. Leah left dealing with it. If she tells, what then? Says he loves her - gives her neck-chain.

21.13-24.10
Leah tells friend who tries to make her face reality. What about Jordan? More violence not the answer. Police arrive. One victim in coma - if he dies, does she want this on her mind?

Curriculum Relevance:

Major PSHE and Citizenship focus. Cross-curricular: English and drama, media, psychology, religious and moral education, sociology

England & Wales Key Stage 4

PSHE

• Developing confidence and responsibility - making most of abilities: 1 b c d
• Developing healthy safe lifestyle: 2 b
• Developing good relationships - respecting differences: 3 a b c d e f j
• Knowledge, skills and understanding 4 d f g

Citizenship

• Knowledge and understanding about becoming informed citizens: 1 a b f g h i
• Developing skills of: enquiry and communication: 2 a b c
• participation and responsible action: 3 a

Northern Ireland

Learning for Life and Work Area (14-18):
Local and Global Citizenship Strand

• Diversity and Inclusion - factors influencing individual and group identity
• Human Rights and Social Responsibilities - why different rights must be balanced
• Equality and Social Justice: ways in which rules and laws enforced

Personal Development Strand (Including PSHE and Home Economics):

• Personal Understanding
• Relationships
• Independent Living

Scotland

Scottish Executive: Guidance on PSD, Citizenship - middle to upper secondary stages.

Background Information:

Bullying and beyond
Recent research has shown that bullying is a major concern among young people, and that in some communities they have to be prepared to deal with more serious incidents involving weapons, particularly knives, with large inner city estates presenting a particular problem.

To school and back
Bullying is often associated with school, but increasingly the journey to and from school is becoming hazardous. The NSPCC report 'Children, Young People and Community Safety' argues the full scale of violence encountered by young people is not known. It is generally thought to be underestimated because the statistics available are unreliable.

Speculation and reality
Care needs to be taken when speculating about levels of violence among young people without any hard reliable evidence to back up conclusions. National averages can be misleading because they underestimate pockets of extreme violence around the country. Under-reporting of crime among this age group further blurs the picture. Statistics taken out of context and used in sensational media reports also skew the picture, contributing to negative impressions of young people in society at large. There is therefore a need for good research and statistics before judgements can be made about levels of violence in any one area and appropriate responses devised.

Young fear
Research findings continually suggest that young people as a group are most feared by people of all ages in our society, yet they are the group most often victimised and the group least likely to report crime or be taken seriously.

Blade availability
Concern about violent crime in Britain has swung back to knives and how readily available they are to children and young people. A recent Trading Standards Institute report found almost half the shops tested in their sample broke the law by selling knives to young people under the age of 16. The situation has been made worse in recent years because knives can be purchased with relative anonymity over the internet.

Rising knife culture?
It is often asked whether we are really witnessing a rise in so-called knife culture or whether recent coverage of the issue in newspapers is mere hysteria. According to the Home Office, the number of people convicted of carrying a blade in public was 2559 in 1991 and 3570 in the year 2000. There are those who see the increase in convictions in terms of the success of crackdown operations and not in terms of a higher incidence of knife carrying. Meanwhile A & E departments in hospitals in parts of the country report they are seeing an increase in stab wounds which are not reported to the police. The Youth Justice Board recently found that carrying a knife was the most common offence among young people excluded from school and identified availability and ease of use as a problem. The situation is further confused by inconsistencies relating to government 'lock up' and 'rehab' policies and media reporting of the same.

Activities:

Before viewing

Depending on context, teachers may wish to use the list of themes below to focus viewing, or guide discussion afterwards.

Themes (see outline for timings).

1. Tensions among young people in a mixed-race urban community.
2. Potential consequences of taking law into own hands and carrying knives.
3. Personal safety, relationships and trust.

After Viewing

1. Build a profile of Leah using the following to help: relationship with basketball coach, mum, brother, boyfriend, friends, police. How do students personally feel about her? What decision do you think she'll come to in relation to naming Roni? Give reasons for answer. Discuss differing views and any consensus.
2. Leah takes a series of risks in the film. Identify and assess them on a five point scale from 'low' to 'high'. In each case why do you think she behaves in the way she does? In light of risk analysis what do you think she'll do about Roni?
3. Ask students as class, in pairs or small groups to give opinions, and account for them, on: Roni as a person, his lifestyle and how it might have arisen, his feelings for Leah, what the future holds for him, what could be a positive way out. Discuss differing views and any consensus.

Key Questions

1. Can you account for the different ways Roni and Leah react to same situation?
2. Is it the case young people won't report crime against them to the police?
3. What are the dangers of young people taking the law into their own hands?
4. Why is this? What could be done to improve the situation?
5. What could be done in your local environment?

Links:

This web page contains links to other websites that are not under the control of and are not maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

Large searchable database on youth issues from love to the law.
http://www.youthinformation.com

Comprehensive resource for crime reduction in community. Opportunities for discussion. Crime prevention strategies. Advice: mobile phones, personal safety.
http://www.crime-reduction.gov.uk

Advice and information for teachers, parents and young people. Section on racist bullying. Outline of law on racism. Contact numbers for race equality councils throughout UK. Can email concerns in any language.
http://www.bullying.co.uk

Credits:

Series
Camera: PAUL OTTER
Sound Recording: CHRIS GIBBIONS
Producer: GARRY LYONS
Executive Producer: ALLEN JEWHURST
Webnotes: IAIN RAMSAY

Ben's Patient
Music: JOHN MILES
Editor: BARRY REYNOLDS
Director: JO SHOOP

Steve's Heartache
Written by GARRY LYONS
Music: W. INDIAN CO.
Editor: TIM RITSON
Director: GERRY TROYNA

Leah's Trial
Music: EDWIN PRESTON, JASON WILLIAMS
Editor: BARRY REYNOLDS
Director: JO SHOOP

CHAMELEON TV 4