Count Me In

Families of children who've been stabbed to death are asking kids in the Midlands to join a new Facebook campaign against knife crime.

Ex-Eastender Brook Kinsella has been visiting schools in Birmingham. Her brother Ben was stabbed to death nearly two years ago and she wants young people who hate violence to stand up and be counted.

Count Me In: Together We Can Stop Knife Crime has been launched across the country this week and aims to get thousands of people signed up to www.facebook.com/countmein. Alternatively the campaign is also running on the Families Utd website.

Both the Facebook and Families Utd page will contain advice, routes to further support and testimonies from the families and communities affected by knife crime. Young people who sign-up will be invited to share their experiences and thoughts on knife crime and will be encouraged to spread the word about the campaign amongst their friends.

Count Me In is a national campaign that will be reinforced with new classroom materials to help teachers talk to young people about knife crime and serious youth violence. The materials, supported by Families Utd and the Kids Taskforce, will be available to all schools online and distributed to almost 300,000 primary school pupils in the areas most affected by knife crime.

At the launch on Monday the Prime Minister said:
”I’m very proud to support Families Utd. Their unity comes from shared tragedy and their loss is the most powerful warning there is against carrying a knife.

“I believe young people want to see an end to knife crime, just as we all do, and believe the power to make that happen is as much in their hands as it is ours. So this week we’re asking them to sign the pledge and say “Count Me In” to a world without knife crime.”