Students who interviewed hundreds of people in their community for a project to tackle youth violence have been recognised as part of the Mayor’s Team London Awards 2018.

The group of 30 from Leyton Sixth Form College worked with Citizens UK to run a listening campaign which saw them meet with 300 people including police officers, teachers, parents, young people and faith groups.

The programme, known as Leyton Citizens, was awarded in the Young Londoner category at the awards ceremony at City Hall on Monday, October 15.

Through the research campaign, the youngsters discovered that many young people do not always know what facilities, resources and activities which are available to them and that lack of employment-related opportunities leads to disengagement.

A lot of young people they spoke to said that gang-related violence and particularly knife crime is a very immediate aspect of their day-to-day lives.

Leyton Citizens established a youth safety commission, the inaugural meeting of which will be held at the college in early November and which will bring together representatives from the council, police, local businesses and young people.

The group also met with Waltham Forest Council leader, Cllr Clare Coghill, to ensure that commitments made at Waltham Forest Citizens Assembly earlier this year remain priorities.

Gill Burbridge, principal of the college in Essex Road, said: “It is fantastic to have been nominated for, and presented with, a Team London Award.

“The Leyton Citizens project has been a fulfilling learning experience for the college and for our students.

“They have found their voice in a public forum through which they are not only heard but counted.

“The passion, ideas and have been at the heart of this initiative and they have become young leaders as a result of their participation.

“The local community has also benefitted with young people working with them to try and find solutions to complicated youth issues.

“This award is a recognition of their hard work, commitment to civil society and their determination and capacity to change their community for the better. Well done Leyton Citizens.”

Jennette Arnold, London Assembly member for Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest, also offered her congratulations to the students.

She said it was “fantastic” to see their hard work pay off and hopes schools across Waltham Forest will follow their lead.

“It has been extremely concerning to see the rise in violent crime in Waltham Forest, and across London,” she said.

“However, in the face of tragedy, our local community has always pulled together to try and find a way to heal and move forward to tackle the underlying causes.

“We should be immensely proud of these students who are leading the way locally when it comes to ensuring the views and concerns of their peers towards violent crime are heard by those in power.”