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VRU | Engagement and Communications

Engagement and Communications

We work with and for our communities, gaining insight and understanding to celebrate the strengths of our communities, and work with them to realise what needs to be done. We believe that working together to truly understand our communities will help determine how local investments should be made, which will keep people safer. 

As a Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP), we work closely with our partners to understand the strengths, challenges and needs of all communities in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton.  

The VRU brings together VRP partners to collaborate with and listen to communities, we then cooperate with sharing information and co-produce our work. Together we want to celebrate what great communities we live in and challenge any narrative that may draw young people into exploitation and violence. 

The VRU publish a monthly newsletter which you can keep up to date with by clicking the links below. If you’d like to sign up to receive the newsletters straight to your inbox you can do so HERE.

 

Youth and Community Engagement

A vital part of our work is to seek youth and community views about serious violence and knife crime and how it affect them. These views then help inform the Annual Strategic Needs Assessment of Violence Reduction Partnership and the plan to tackle serious violence and knife crime. In November 2023 we launched a Serious Violence and Knife Crime survey which we have been using as part of our engagement across the two counties. Our Engagement Model shows our engagement approach.

Please click on the accordions below to download resources to help with your youth and community engagement

The new Serious Violence and Knife Crime Participation Pack has been developed to strengthen our conversations with young people. We are really pleased to be able to share the pack which contains 5 x 15 minute session plans.  These are designed to educate and empower young people from 11-25 and gather further feedback about their experiences

 

What is the participation pack?

  • The pack is a toolkit with information on serious violence and knife crime
  • It contains 5 x 15 minute activities on serious violence and knife crime

 

Why do we have the participation pack?

  • The pack supports educational activities around serious violence
Click here to download Serious Violence and Knife Crime Participation Pack

The Knife Crime (Op Sceptre) Partnership Activity Guide is a valuable resource designed to support partners in tackling knife crime and serious violence.

 

Packed with engagement ideas, proven activities, and best practices, this guide helps organisations plan and deliver impactful initiatives—not just during Op Sceptre, but all year round. By using this resource, partners can strengthen collaboration, share key messages, and work together more effectively to keep communities safe.

 

To learn more about why this guide was created and the impact it can have, watch Debbie Ashthorpe, VRU Manager,  in this short video.

Download guide here!

The Youth PACT Best Practice Guide is a valuable resource for organisations looking to establish their own Youth PACTs, ensuring that young people have a meaningful voice in shaping decisions that affect them.

 

Including youth voice in decision-making is vital to creating strategies and interventions that truly reflect their needs. This guide is based on a successful pilot with Oasis Academy Sholing Youth Parliament, developed in collaboration with key partners:

 

  • Hampshire and Isle of Wight Youth Commission
  • Southampton City Council
  • Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
  • Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary
  • Oasis Hub & Oasis Academy

 

By following the best practices outlined in this guide, organisations can create safe, structured, and impactful spaces for young people to contribute their ideas and drive positive change.

Click here to download the guide