s t n e t n co 2. Founder’s Message 3. The Challenge 4. XL-R8 COMMUNITY Bus 5. Coach MENTORING 6. Child of war 7. Arts
8. stephen grace 9. Where is XLP? 10-11. fighting chance 12. x-mobile 13. Educational support 14. What makes xlp effective?
15. XLP abroad 16. Summer camps 17. fundraising 18. Financial 19. What others SAY
I refuse to believe that this is a lost generation. I am convinced that if we tackle the drivers of why kids get involved in gangs, crime and anti-social behaviour we can make a difference. This year has been incredibly exciting for XLP and for those with whom we work. We have seen the largest ever Arts Showcase programme with hundreds of young people from schools across London performing together and celebrating each other’s achievements. Youth from a variety of estates, often rival communities, went on our summer camps and established lasting friendships. Our mentoring progamme has been extended into new boroughs and a new XL-R8 Community Bus has been launched along with a special website that was designed by young people to support young people who want to be out of gangs. We’ve also launched a new project aimed at helping young people who are struggling to find work, and we are working with more young people in more schools and communities than ever before.
2 XLP Annual Review 2010
Someone once said to me, “hopeful kids don’t join gangs”. XLP will always be about hope. Our projects are about getting alongside young people living in our inner cities and helping them see alternatives to what can sometimes seem a hopeless situation. Our aim is to try to provide a holistic solution to some of the challenges young people and their families are facing. If we want to impact our communities and see change happen, we need to understand what the issues are. The best way to understand the issues is to live in the community, to build relationships with others working there, and to be committed for the long haul. This is the approach that XLP takes. We continue to work in partnership with the police, community groups, churches, and local and central government, and are incredibly grateful to those who are volunteering and partnering with us to fight poverty, support education and serve London’s young people.
Patrick Regan, CEO of XLP