Safe

Youth Endowment Fund
  • 0.0 (0)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE

Violence affects us all at some point, but for some children, it’s a daily reality. Every year, hundreds of young people in England and Wales are injured or killed by a sharp object. 5% of teenagers carry a weapon, 20% have been victims of violence, and most worry about it. Yet, while violence happens daily, so does prevention—we just don’t hear about it. Why does it happen? How can we stop it? Hosted by youth worker and author Ciaran Thapar (Youth Endowment Fund), Safe is a conversation about violence affecting children and young people with those who are working to stop it.

Episodes

  1. 2D AGO

    Keeping Children in School - and Safe, with Kiran Gill

    School absences, suspensions, and exclusions have reached record highs in recent years. Behind the numbers is a complex story of trauma, vulnerability and unmet needs. What’s causing this trend — and how can we tackle it? Kiran Gill, former teacher and founder of The Difference, explores how schools can prevent lost learning while helping children stay safe.    Links & resources  Website: The Difference  Resource for education leaders: Education, Children and Violence  Resource for policymakers: Education Policy, Children and Violence  Research: Association between school exclusion, suspension, absence and violent crime  Research: Beyond the Headlines 2025  Research: Making The Difference: Breaking the link between school exclusion and social exclusion  Research: Who is losing learning?  Research: Lost learning: Prevalence, inequalities and outcomes of internal exclusion in mainstream secondary schools  Stats: Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England  The Youth Endowment Fund believes that no child should be affected by violence.   We research violence to understand it; we find, fund and test what works to prevent it; and we are building a movement to end it.   To find out more, visit ⁠⁠YEF's website⁠⁠.   Follow us on Instagram: @youthendowfund  ⁠⁠Tell us what you think in this short survey⁠⁠   Host: Ciaran Thapar, Youth Endowment Fund  Series Producer: Meera Kumar

    41 min

  2. FEB 11

    Using Social Media to Avoid Violent Encounters, with Forrest Stuart

    ‘Social media drives violence.’ It’s a common claim, but is it true? Forrest Stuart, Professor of Sociology at Stanford University, paints a more nuanced picture. Drawing on his time with teenage gang members on the South Side of Chicago, he explores the tension between young people using social media to provoke, stay safe and seek validation, their posts being used against them in court, and the increased risks of victimisation for those living in urban poverty.    Links & Resources Website: ⁠⁠Stanford Ethnography Lab⁠⁠  Book: ⁠⁠Ballad of the Bullet: Gangs, Drill Music, and the Power of Online Infamy⁠⁠ by Forrest Stuart  Book: ⁠⁠Down, Out, and Under Arrest: Policing and Everyday Life in Skid Row⁠⁠ by Forrest Stuart  Research: ⁠⁠Children, violence and vulnerability 2025 | The scale of violence affecting children⁠⁠  Research: ⁠⁠School climate and the impact of neighborhood crime on test scores⁠⁠    The Youth Endowment Fund believes that no child should be affected by violence.   We research violence to understand it; we find, fund and test what works to prevent it; and we are building a movement to end it.   To find out more, visit ⁠⁠YEF's website⁠⁠.   Follow us on Instagram: @youthendowfund  ⁠⁠Tell us what you think in this short survey⁠⁠   Host: Ciaran Thapar, Youth Endowment Fund  Series Producer: Meera Kumar

    51 min
  3. Growing up Exploited in a Gang (Anonymous)

    FEB 4

    Growing up Exploited in a Gang (Anonymous)

    At the age of 12, he was using drugs. By 13, he was selling them. By 14, he was trapped in a world dominated by fear and violence. Speaking anonymously, a young man shares his powerful story of being pulled into county lines and how he found a way out. He reflects on the harsh risks, realities and misconceptions about criminal exploitation, and what needs to change to protect children from it. LINKS & RESOURCES Children Violence and Vulnerability 2025 - Exploitation and gangsLeaders UnlockedJust For Kids Law The Youth Endowment Fund believes that no child should be affected by violence.   We research violence to understand it; we find, fund and test what works to prevent it; and we are building a movement to end it.     To find out more, visit: The Youth Endowment Fund Follow us on Instagram: @youthendowfund    Host: Ciaran Thapar, Youth Endowment Fund   Series Producer: Meera Kumar

    46 min
  4. How Football is Saving Boys, with Jack Reynolds

    FEB 4

    How Football is Saving Boys, with Jack Reynolds

    In an age of social media and ‘toxic influencers’, are too many boys growing up without positive role models?  Jack Reynolds shares the journey of Football Beyond Borders, showing how football can support children at risk of school exclusion and violence. He explains how, through setting up the Lost Boys Taskforce, the sense of belonging and relationships forged on the football pitch have inspired a new goal: giving every young person access to a trusted adult outside their family home.  Links & Resources  Football Beyond Borders  The Lost Boys Taskforce  Children, violence and vulnerability 2024 | Who has access to positive activities, youth clubs and trusted adults?  Youth work and violence prevention  The Youth Endowment Fund believes that no child should be affected by violence.   We research violence to understand it; we find, fund and test what works to prevent it; and we are building a movement to end it.   Find out more on the Youth Endowment Fund Tell us what you think Take this short survey Host: Ciaran Thapar, Youth Endowment Fund   Series Producer: Meera Kumar

    50 min

  5. TRAILER

    Safe | Official Trailer | A new podcast from the Youth Endowment Fund

    What does safety really mean to a child growing up around violence?  Safe is a new podcast from the Youth Endowment Fund, hosted by Director of External Affairs and Youth Understanding - Ciaran Thapar, bringing lived experience, culture and evidence together to confront one of the defining issues of modern Britain.  Each episode opens with one simple question: “When you were a child, how did you keep safe?”  🎙️ Launching 4 February 📅 New episodes every week  Follow SAFE so you don’t miss the first episode.

    2 min

  6. 04/09/2025 · BONUS

    Justin Finlayson: The Music Mentoring Bus Tackling Territorial Violence

    Justin Finlayson shares how to keep young people safe in the recording studio, why drill music makes him uncomfortable and what his journey from prison officer to bus driver to charity CEO has taught him about preventing violence. To find out more about United Borders, visit: http://unitedborders.org/ Safe is hosted by Ciaran Thapar, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at the Youth Endowment Fund and author of Cut Short: Why We’re Failing Our Youth — and How to Fix It. The Youth Endowment Fund is a charity which funds, researches and promotes ways of preventing violence amongst children and young people. To find out more, visit: https://youthendowmentfund.org.uk/ Series Producer: Meera Kumar

    47 min

  7. 03/19/2025 · BONUS

    Carlene Firmin: Contextual Safeguarding is Common Sense

    Professor Carlene Firmin shares how shop workers can be community guardians, why we are all responsible for keeping young people safe, and what her journey from aspiring journalist to charity worker to renowned social work academic has taught her about preventing violence. To find out more about Contextual Safeguarding and Carlene’s work visit: www.contextualsafeguarding.org.uk Safe is hosted by Ciaran Thapar, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at the Youth Endowment Fund and author of Cut Short: Why We’re Failing Our Youth — and How to Fix It. The Youth Endowment Fund is a charity which funds, researches and promotes ways of preventing violence amongst children and young people. To find out more visit: https://youthendowmentfund.org.uk/ Series Producer: Meera Kumar

    44 min

Trailer

About

Violence affects us all at some point, but for some children, it’s a daily reality. Every year, hundreds of young people in England and Wales are injured or killed by a sharp object. 5% of teenagers carry a weapon, 20% have been victims of violence, and most worry about it. Yet, while violence happens daily, so does prevention—we just don’t hear about it. Why does it happen? How can we stop it? Hosted by youth worker and author Ciaran Thapar (Youth Endowment Fund), Safe is a conversation about violence affecting children and young people with those who are working to stop it.

Information

  • Creator
    Youth Endowment Fund
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Youth Endowment Fund
  • Show Website
    Safe

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