As part of Knife Crime Awareness Week, a national week of action focused on raising awareness, sparking conversations and promoting education around knife crime, we are hosting four specialist training sessions. Since launching our training programmes in 2023, we have reached over 8,500 adults nationwide, and Knife Crime Awareness Week provides an important opportunity to extend that reach even further, engaging more professionals, families and individuals in vital preventative learning.

This year, Knife Crime Awareness Week will be delivered entirely online, including our training sessions and the ‘Trusted Adult’ and ‘Organisation’ Pledges. Hosting the week digitally allows us to reach as many people as possible, inspire nationwide conversations and encourage collective action to help prevent knife crime. Our sessions are designed to support prevention and early intervention by increasing understanding of the causes and consequences of knife crime, while equipping those closest to young people with practical knowledge and confidence.

A key event during the week is our first ever Real Stories, Real People – LIVE Q&A, taking place on Thursday 21st May from 6.30–8.30pm. Building on our award-winning Real Stories, Real People podcast series, this interactive webinar brings together speakers with lived experience of knife crime alongside our trained facilitators. The session offers a safe and supportive space to listen, reflect and connect with real experiences, placing honest conversation and lived reality at the heart of learning. Through open discussion and live questions, we aim to challenge misconceptions, deepen emotional understanding and provide insight into the pressures facing young people today.

Registration is available at: 

https://benkinsellatrust.beaconforms.com/form/93879ced 

We will also be delivering Knife Crime Awareness Essentials, a one‑hour training session for teachers and school staff, on Wednesday 20th May from 3.45–4.45pm. This session focuses on the vital role schools play in early intervention and safeguarding, supporting education professionals to understand the drivers behind knife‑carrying, including fear, peer pressure and online influences. It explores how knife‑related risks can present in school environments and provides practical guidance on responding to concerns confidently, consistently and appropriately, while equipping staff to engage young people in meaningful, preventative conversations.

Teachers and school staff can register here:

https://benkinsellatrust.beaconforms.com/form/36ec72be 

Alongside our work in schools, we are running specialist training for youth workers and frontline practitioners on Tuesday 19th May from 9.30am–12.30pm. This session supports those working directly with young people to recognise early signs of exploitation, understand why some young people may feel compelled to carry knives, and respond using trauma‑informed approaches that prioritise prevention and safeguarding. To support meaningful discussion and engagement, places for this session are limited to 30 participants.

Youth Workers and practitioners can register here: 

https://benkinsellatrust.beaconforms.com/form/e9d4487c 

Completing our upcoming training sessions is our forthcoming Helping Our Children Stay Safe workshop for parents and carers, taking place on Tuesday 2nd June from 6–8pm. This session aims to increase awareness of the social, emotional and cultural pressures affecting young people’s safety, while helping families recognise warning signs, understand online and peer risks, and feel more confident having open, supportive conversations at home.

Parents and carers can register here: 

https://benkinsellatrust.beaconforms.com/form/832f4ba8

Throughout all of our sessions delivered during Knife Crime Awareness Week, participants will be invited and encouraged to sign the Trusted Adult or Organisation Pledge. Guided by our mission to inspire a national movement where everyone recognises their role in preventing knife crime, we are placing a strong emphasis this year on commitment through action. By encouraging individuals and organisations to take small, meaningful steps, we aim to drive collective change that helps protect young lives and build safer futures for all.