London Mayor Sadiq Khan revealed his plan to support community efforts to stop hate, extremism and radicalisation in London today.
Khan announced an investment of £875,000 to support 25 community projects in a bid to teach 30,000 Londoners on how to tackle racism and hate.
The funding is a part of the mayor’s Shared Endeavour Fund, a plan set in 2020 that focuses on supporting grassroots efforts against these types of issues.
Khan said: “A record number of young people were arrested for terrorism offences last year and deadly plots to harm Londoners continue to be foiled.
“With the rising cost of living crisis impacting so many who may be vulnerable and disaffected, it’s crucial the Government follow our lead and prioritise tackling the threat of terrorism and extremism in our communities and online so we can continue to build a safe London for everyone.”
According to the Home Office’s data, 2022 recorded the highest number of children and under-17 teens for terror offences with 32 out of the total of 166.
In addition, the police and social services have stopped eight late-stage terror attacks in the last 12 months.
The MI5 and Counter Terrorism Policing are currently embroiled in over 800 investigations into terror and hate acts across the country, a majority being in London.
What projects look to stop hate?
Among the projects is Arc Theatre, an company that uses live performances to teach audiences about empathy, diversity, inclusion.
The theatre’s education director Natalie Smith said: “The Mayor’s support has allowed us to deliver high impact live theatre as the opening stimulus for a range of tried and tested practical interactive exercises.
“This helps embed important messages to assist pupils (and their teachers) to develop critical thinking skills in order to understand the dangers of extremism, how to challenge negative views and assumptions, and to build counter narratives to hateful ideas.”
Also involved is Chelsea FC’s Chelsea Foundation and the Future Leaders programme.
Faheem Khan, the founding direction of Future Leaders, said: “Being in the Shared Endeavour Fund has meant we are part of a family of organisations all working together to challenge hate and intolerance, supporting each other on the way.
“The support from the Mayor of London has meant we have been able to empower hundreds of young people across London, who will go on to empower countless others.”
The Shared Endeavour Fund has hit a total of £3million with the new investment, supporting 97 projects over the past couple of years and empowering more than 90,000 Londoners
Applications for the funding are open until the 22nd of May, where the grants are spilt into three tiers of eligibility requirements, equalling different values of available grants.
The application is done on the Groundwork London website.
