Violence Reduction Curriculum
Round Midnight are collaborating with Greater Manchester VRU to deliver a violence reduction curriculum using virtual reality technology.
Round Midnight and the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit are working with five schools in Oldham, Stockport, and Wigan to trial the new Violence Reduction Curriculum designed to make sustained improvement to the lives and young people and their communities, by tackling the underlying causes of crime and instilling social empathy. Across the five schools (two primaries, two secondaries and one alternative provision) the programme will be delivered to approximately 700 young people by Summer 2022.
Schools in Manchester have licenced Virtual_Decisions: GANGS and are using it as the virtual reality film as a launching pad the for the Violence Reduction Curriculum. Since April 2019 Round Midnight’s expert facilitators have delivered the programme to over 2,000 young people in West Midlands and Greater Manchester.
An early intervention tool
The programme has proven to be a powerful early intervention tool, with each workshop also highlighting issues that need to be further explored and identifying the additional support young people need.
As a result, Round Midnight are now working alongside Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit education team to create a new Violence Reduction Curriculum, using the Virtual_Decisions programme at its core. The programme will be delivered by teachers in PSHE lessons over the next school year.
71% of young people that completed the Virtual_Decisions: GANGS workshop said they are now more likely to consider the consequences of their actions.
95% of young people said that their knowledge of gang culture and criminal exploitation has significantly increased after experiencing the Virtual_Decisions: GANGS VR film and workshop.
