Grassroots for Good & Netflix Address Youth Violence in London
September 2, 2022
UK-based charity, Grassroots for Good, has partnered with Netflix and its hit series Top Boy to support the the charity's work to reduce gang rivalries and increase opportunities for London youth. This past January, London reported its worst-ever annual death toll from teenage homicides, with a total of 30 boys and young men killed in 2021. Most were victims of knife crime, which is also a theme of the series.
The charity is made up of a network of socially conscious grassroots community football clubs that promote positive social impact internally and in society. It is on a mission to expand the "grassroots football revolution started by Hackney Wick FC" across the UK, based on the belief that grassroots football has a positive role to play in helping communities thrive and in addressing social and environmental issues. Both the charity and the club were founded by ex-gang member, author and community leader, Bobby Kasanga.
Kasanga founded Hackney Wick FC in 2015 based on an ethos of community engagement. It is the borough’s first-ever semi-professional football club, encompassing male and female teams aged eight and up, and works to unite local diverse groups, battling peer pressure and tackling gang influences.
Earlier this year, the show was unveiled as the club’s new kit sponsors for the 2022/23 season. Kasanga explained that the partnership with Netflix draws attention to the charity’s community-based work in North-East London’s Hackney where the series is based. The area is among the top five most dangerous Boroughs in London with an overall crime rate in 2021 of 105 crimes per 1,000 people.
“Top Boy touches on the real-life issues that the local people of Hackney are going through and represents the marginalised communities I came from. I hope our collaboration with Top Boy provides a positive message of hope and opportunity to the young people of Hackney.”
Netflix’s partnership also included support Grassroots for Goods’ 3rd annual 32 Borough Cup football tournament, which occurred last month. The tournament, consisting of 32 youth teams from 32 London Boroughs supporting 32 social causes, was created in 2019 to combat youth violence and gang activity and to help young Londoners channel their passion and drive purposefully.
From the success of the first 32 Borough Cup, the charity expanded its work into other areas to improve grassroots communities, the environment and peoples' lives.
“There are many young people that don’t really speak up, we don’t know what they’re going through," said Kasanga. "Coming here [The 32 Borough Cup] they meet up with other like-minded people, it’s about trying to explore what we can do for them and really push them further in society.”
Hackney Wick FC players, Kelvin, Joshua and Patryk represented Enfield Borough at this year’s tournament on July 11. Each player spoke to Roots agency of the road that brought them to where they are and why football and sports are so important to London’s youth culture in 2022.
Grassroots for Good hopes to expand its partnership beyond the 32 member clubs it has within its network and hopes to grow to include professional clubs.
Sources: Grassroots for Good & Sport Industry Group