In the wake of multiple knife-related murders in the UK’s capital, activist and ex-gang member Joshua Osbourne takes an in-depth look at the “code of silence” in a documentary available on Vice.

At Carney’s Community we believe in the virtuous cycle, which means that we support people with the hope that they will, in turn, support others or have some positive impact on society, once they are back on their feet again.

We have achieved this with ex-Carney’s participant, Josh Osbourne, who worked with George (Carney’s Chief Executive) from the age of 16. Josh came to George asking for support because he was motivated to improve his life, following a stint in custody, and that is exactly what he did. He pursued a career in the arts and went from an apprenticeship at Battersea Art Centre, to the Royal Court Theatre, to RSA films and then onto Vice. Whilst he did access support and mentoring, it was Josh that put the hard work in and overcame many obstacles, refusing to give up on himself. So when he asked to volunteer at Carney’s two years ago, we jumped at the chance and saw it as his way of “giving back” and continuing the virtuous cycle. However, that was just the beginning of his give back!

We are now proud to say that Josh has just released his first documentary with Vice, based on knife crime and it’s impact. He spent years researching and meeting with young people, workers and relatives of those that have been victims of knife crime. The result is a hard hitting and honest portrayal of the impact knife crime has and the difficulties in bringing knife crime to an end.

You can read Josh’s article here:

Do Young People Need ‘Zero Tolerance’ For the Behaviour That Leads to Knife Crime?

You can watch the full-length documentary here: