Throughout recent years the UK has seen a worrying growth in violent crime – specifically knife crime.
Official figures showed 2019 had the highest recorded knife crime cases in England and Wales since data collection began in 2010 [1].
Knife crime offences in the West Midlands increased by 13% in 2019 compared to 2018 [2].
Local authority funding of youth service in England was cut by 73% between 2010 and 2019 [3].
Many youth centres have been forced to close [4] so opportunities for young people to engage and excel out of school have decreased significantly

This song was written by Coventry artist ShadowCV [5] and performed by students of Cardinal Newman School, Coventry [6] [7].
It aims to spread a message of Peace, Positivity and Unity across Coventry and the whole UK.

ShadowCV writes “I was born and raised in Coventry City, the city of peace and reconciliation, and to see the growth in knife crime and the tragic events that have occurred in my city through recent years is painful.

“I recently started working as a music mentor at Cardinal Newman School Coventry, the school in which i studied at for 5 years from 2005-2010.
After working with many students and talking to them 1-2-1 about their anxieties and fears growing up in Coventry, i thought it would be a great idea to put together a song that really represents the feelings of myself and the students i work with and also to create something that resonates with the whole country.

“This project was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life, seeing my students grow in confidence and watching their musical abilities develop throughout the project has been amazing. My plan is deliver projects like this all over the country to spread maximum awareness and inspire as many people as possible.”

Produced by Phaze FX
Directed, filmed & edited By Cameron Cox

Special Thanks to Cardinal Newman School Coventry for funding the project and to Paul, Geraldine & all of the staff that have helped make this happen.

Connect With ShadowCV

https://www.instagram.com/shadowcv/
https://twitter.com/shadowcv_
https://www.facebook.com/ShadowCV6/
https://soundcloud.com/shadowcv6
Tik Tok: ShadowCV6

References

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42749089

[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdecember2019

[3] https://fullfact.org/economy/spending-services-young-people-england-has-fallen-2010/

[4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-50644585

[5] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsTR7Xn9kx7o78zN5CvU5Pw

[6] http://www.cncs.school/

[7] https://twitter.com/newmancoventry/