SAVI

We currently live in an extremely violent world and I think not only for us, the community involved, but also for parents, children, teachers, authorities. Violence can not be removed, but it can be reduced and is preventable. It is important to know when and how much to get involved in eradicating these acts of violence that, whether we like it or not, surrounds us. Most of the time, the first contact of violence is with domestic violence, then exporting violent behavior to other people in the family extra-family environment, both at school and outside of school.

SAVI (Smethwick Anti-Violence Initiaitive) was formed late in 2020 to deliver a pilot project in Smethwick relating to violence prevention in and around Soho and Victoria Ward and targeting young people, especially from Polish, Romanian, Russian Speaking, Somalian and Kashmiri communities resident in Smethwick.

A second project was also delivered in relation to supporitng communities through the Covid 19 pandemic. Smethwick CAN/Foodbank joined this project.

Due to a funding gap issue in WMVRU, and WMVRU considerations regarding the future of the project in Smethwick, a short term bridging arrangement was proposed and finally agreed in late May 2021. As a result of the late approval date, SAVI proposed, with WMVRU agreement, to run a project from April to September covering two quarters to facilitate support of the SAVI alliance and to establsh an ongoing framework for activity. The project ran until September 30th 2021and has now closed.

WMVRU has decided to switch its attention towards a youth mentoring approach to violence prevention that will not focus on Smethwick. However SAVI will continue as an informal alliance of partners centred on Smethwick but open to working in Birmingham and The Black Country.