**Community Partner:** Street Fathers CIC

**Social Issue:** Social cohesion - working with at-risk youth to prevent knife crime and gang involvement

**Ambassadors:** Ovie Soko, Amin Adamu 

**Main Life Skills:** Improve participants’ confidence, discipline, communication, trust, teamwork, positive peer relationships and resilience through basketball drills and structured life lessons.

**About The Program:**

Street Fathers CIC is a grassroots organisation working to reduce violence and strengthen communities across London. Their mission is summed up in three pillars- Presence, Protection, Prevention. They provide detached outreach in local “hot spot” areas where violence is most prevalent, aiming to avert incidents, mediate tensions, and prevent escalation. From the community, for the community, Street Fathers connect parent and guardian figures to create a proactive, positive presence on the streets. They focus on empowering fathers to take visible roles in their neighborhoods, supporting single mothers, and guiding young people at risk of gangs and knife crime. Their work helps young people transition into adulthood with role models, counsel, and positive examples that may otherwise be missing in their lives.

The London Lions’ One Team project is designed to foster social cohesion and prevent knife crime and gang involvement among at-risk youth, primarily males aged 11–19. Through weekly two-hour sessions led by two trained basketball coaches and supported by Street Fathers’ community staff and volunteers, the program combines on-court basketball drills with life skills workshops to achieve its core objectives. By connecting young people with inspiring role models, including London Lions ambassadors and mentors, the program offers credible alternatives to negative influences. Each week focuses on a specific life skill, from trust and communication to resilience and goal setting, culminating in a showcase game and celebration event with diplomas and game tickets. Through these efforts, the London Lions’ project empowers participants to make safer, positive choices and equips them with practical strategies to navigate challenges and avoid the dangers of knife crime and gang involvement.