23 years since the killing of Damilola Taylor in the street of London, knife crime is still rife in our community. Sadly, many more victims of knife crimes have been added to these statistics, and this continue to plague our community.

There is no doubt that poverty and youth unemployment have contributed to this upward trend in violence somewhat fuelled by underfunding in the youth charity sector, and will continue to get worse if young people are not inspired and empowered.

VIN club in its quest to spotlight the importance of youth empowerment, its role in alleviating poverty in our community, is determined to engage with a youth-focussed charity such as the Damilola Taylor Trust which implements programmes to support young people make a transition in thinking, knowledge and attitude so that they can have access to economic opportunities required for productive participation and integration into society.

VIN Club has set aside its 2023 service year to raise awareness of the causes and the impact of knife crime in our society, and to also raise much-needed money for Damilola Taylor Trust, enabling them to provide a legacy of hope and opportunity for disadvantage and underprivilege young people in our society.