April 2023
The organisation was invited to youth voices to listen to concerns of young people about crime and gather data and offer participation for upcoming knife angel legacy from young people in attendance.
April 8th 2023
Photography workshop with Mauro Cararro. The event was free to attend and fully booked, and provided under 25’s with the opportunity to learn skills from a Master of their trade! Mauro has photographed everyone from her late Majesty The Queen, David Bowie, front covers of magazines the world over. The free to attend event included a location shoot for attendees and in true Mauro style each attendee was ‘papped’ during their time on location. The organisation will be holding more of these workshops and opening up opportunities to schools and colleges, to raise aspirations of young people and provide skills for those who are already active in an early career or seeking to embark upon one.
Congrats to Clodagh for her beautiful flag and for making the City’s news!
To read the full article pop to our News and media page.
MARCH 30TH
As part of Culture Chelmsford’s Number 11, Living room project, the organisation were provided with a space and small budget for a cultural activity. We commissioned Oscar to perform.
As part of his DJ prize package Ben was given a weekly radio show which we secured through a partnership with Chelmsford Community Radio. Ben continues with his Monday morning weekly show, and we’re big fans. Recently Ben has been interviewing guests and it certainly brightens up our mornings! Ben’s Mentoring is steered towards learning production techniques, skills, tools and selling platforms when he is ready to release. We’re looking forward to the next Mentoring session to hear what he has created!
As part of his award package Oscar was provided with a logo designer who was commissioned by Keep It 100 to work with Oscar. Oscar now has branding which represents his influence of Lana Del Ray and the depth of colour which his music represents.
Additionally the organisation have supported Oscar Ito become registered with PRS as a musician.
March 2023
The Organisations partnership work with Chelmsford CVS has been recognised with an Award from The High Sheriff of Essex, Nicholas Alston. for our joint work on Knife Angel legacy projects.The Keep It 100 amnesty bins were located and designed around our 12 month research project with young people and we worked to secure two locations based on those findings collected in excess of 600 weapons in 15 months. We were proud and honoured to receive this prestigious Award at a wonderful evening hosted by Essex Community Foundation.
Appointment of new Director
We are delighted to welcome onboard friend and ambassador of the organisation to a new role as Director. Gary Hutton is an award winning documentary maker on knife crime who was recently awarded The Freedom of The City of London for his work steering young people away from poverty based exploitation for the past two decades in London.
Gary has been behind the scenes of the organisation for sometime now, so it made sense for him to take a lead role as a Director. Gary’s life has been catastrophically affected by violence, he was first stabbed aged 10 years old, and has lost trusted people to knife crime.
Gary is CEO of Product of A Postcode and the two organisations will be announcing some exciting news in the coming months with plans for national activities.
Gary’s role will predominantly be to develop the organisations education and personal development mentoring programmes, with a core focus on poverty based exploitation.
March 2023
Rt Hon Priti Patel MP highlighting the organisations work.
March 2023
Lyricist Award winner Oscar Meades is continuing his work in the studio working with his Mentors MC Bushkin of Heartless Crew and Sweet P. As part of his prize package he will be releasing an album of his work.
February 2023
Alan Savill has left his role as Director to concentrate on his own festivals. We wish him the very best of luck.
January 2023
As part of the Knife Angel visit, a legacy is the Keep It 100 Chelmsford amnesty bins. These were recently cleared as part of Essex Police bins collection. The bins are well used and taking potential lethal blades away form the streets of Chelmsford permanently. Thank you to Chelmsford City Council and Essex Police for your support with the Keep It 100 Amnesty bins. We are expecting to place more of these in the City. Subscribe to our newsletter to be kept updated!
November 22nd 2022
Keep it 100 Founder Luisa Di Marco wins prestigious recognition for securing The Knife Angel visit to Chelmsford. She was highly commended in The Pride of Essex Awards, Ultimate Category.
September 2022
Freya Lees is now a published photographer! Freya receives accreditation in leading international hair magazine Tribu-te. A social black hair edition, as part of her Awards prize package this paid work was a BST photographer assisting Mauro Carraro. See the full shoot and Freya’s back of shoot images here.
September 6th 2022
Unveiling of drawing for permanent anti - violence education statue for Chelmsford, on the first year anniversary of the organisation delivering the Knife Angel to Chelmsford. Co designed by Knife Angel Artist Alfie Bradley and Luisa Di Marco for a permanent statue as a place of education for Essex against violence . The statue has received funding via Keep It 100 National Lottery Funding support and will reflect the Knife Angel Chelmsford vigil containing elements intended to keep the powerful event at the forefront of our Community’s mind. Supported by Chelmsford CVS and Chelmsford City Council Safer Partnership, the drawing was unveiled by The High Sheriff of Essex, Nicholas Alston CBE DL and Keep It 100 Artist Award winner Christiane Mulcahy, who will be commissioned to work with her Mentor Alfie Bradley, on aspects of the statue.
Chelmsford CVS C100 silk flag project is a stunning creative project celebrating Chelmsford. The project was supported by Kinetika and Keep It 100 Youth CIC were delighted to have been asked if we would like ten flags for our young people to design. We provided opportunity to KI100 young artists and invited Youth Group Chelmsford Juniors Chess, Chelmsford Drama Centre, YMCA and North Avenue Youth Group to be involved due to their roles in The Knife Angel visit. some from The Knife Angel Chelmsford visit toAt the year anniversary of The Knife Angel our young artists and contributors who designed and hand painted their flags at workshops hosted by Chelmsford CVS and Kinnetika proudly walked their work alongside dignitaries from the community of Essex. For more on the C100 project, click here.
Sept 2nd 2022
Trademark approved! As part of the Knife Angel legacy we are campaigning to have a National vigil for lives lost to Youth Violence. Whilst all lives lost are important, this initiative is designed to focus on the roots of violence. Childhood trauma is the root cause of most violent acts, and many violent perpetrators who offend in adulthood have a root cause of youth violence. We are delighted to have secured a trademark protection - the first National Vigil took place on September 25th, 2021. Wh we developedilsing this initiative we were not aware the in America the National day for Victims of Murder takes place on September 25th at the lack of any description of National initiate for lives lost to Youth Violence came about in January 2021 whilst planning the Chelmsford vigil and so we set about creating an initiative whereby the Chelmsford vgigil might be emulated in other towns and Cities across the UK. ON September 25th 2021, invitations were accepted by Liverpool, Bolton and London to join in and create their own vigils. Due to the National Day for Murder Victims in the US being 25th September, we have moved that date and details shall follow. Please contact us if you wish to be part of this inititave. Youth violence is defined by the World Health Organisation as a crime perpetrated by, or against, an individual between the ages of 10 and 29 years old and we hope to inspire young people to understand what youth violence is and how they might be able to be part of the change.
Credit: Mauro Carraro © Keep it 100 Youth CIC
Keep it 100 photography award winner Freya Lees exhibition launch
Freya won the inaugural Keep IT 100 photography Award. As well as receiving paid work opportunity she was Mentored by Mauro Carraro. As part of this prize package, priori to releasing Awards, Keep It 100 worked with Hylands House in Chelmsford to secure an exhibition space for the category winner for 3 months.
Freya shone!
Freya Lees exhibition launch film. Directed and edited by Film Award winner, Lewis Newman © Keep It 100 Youth CIC.
April 23rd 2022
Keep It 100 Founder’s Luisa Di Marco receives recognition for bringing the Knife Angel to Chelmsford and her continued contribution to supporting the community of Essex against youth violence and exploitation. The High Sheriff of essex, Nicholas Alston presented The High Sheriffs Award to Luisa and in receiving the award she was surprised and said of being recognised “I do what I can to make our community safer because I don’t want anyone enduring the inhumanity of exploitation and violence that I have, to be recognised for my contribution is humbling. Thank you”.
April 3rd 2022
Keep It 100 DJ Award winner has playing a guest mix on Heartless Crews’s 1Xtra show as part of his Award prize package.
March 12th 2022
APPOINTMENT OF 2 DIRECTORS
Through The Chelmsford Knife Angel visit we had the pleasure of meeting Alan Savill, and subsequently he has been appointed as Director to oversee our Keep It 100 Festival. The Festival was originally set to take place in September 2020 at Chelmsford’s Central Park, due to the pandemic it was postponed. Alan’s wealth of experience with Festival organisation is a welcome addition to the Keep It 100 board and we look forward to the first 100 Fest in 2024. Welcome Alan!
Mads Bowden has been appointed as a youth advisors to the board. As a young person within the community of Essex his knowledge and input of all things youth culture as a truly welcome addition to the board, and will allow the Company a better understanding of the direction it takes in events and creation of opportunity. Welcome Mads!
Feb 5th 2022
Founder of Keep It 100 Youth CIC meets Rt Honourable Priti Patel MP to discuss a day of remembrance for victims of youth violence. Following the Knife Angel Chelmsford vigil which was used to focus on youth violence which Luisa discovered there was no such day, Keep It 100 Youth CIC are leading the way in gathering support to get this scourge on society highlighted in a national day. As a survivor of extensive violence which began as a young person, Luisa is passionate about the difference conversations around youth violence can make. Read more on the meeting on Priti Patel MP’s website here.
CHECK THE LOGO!
DJ AWARD WINNER BEN COLLINSON WAS PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE KI100 TEAM AND A PROFESSIONAL DESIGNER TO CREATE HIS BRANDING LOGO. PART OF THE AWARD WINNERS PRIZE PACKAGE INCLUDES A PAID FOR LOGO DESIGN. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH OUR NEXT AWARDS SIGN UP TO OUR MAIING LIST TO BE KEPT UPDATED!
Photographs by Freya Lees- commissioned by Keep It 100 Youth CIC
October 27th 2021
Keep It 100 inaugural Awards in partnership. A free Awards for Under 25’s who live, work or study in Essex. Held at Hotbox in Chelmsford, they were scheduled to be held at Chelmsford Theatre but a last minute change due to the influx of votes and high level of talent meant delaying the Awards event and a change of venue. The Awards were hosted by Chelmsford City Council Cultural Team Manager, Marc De’Ath, and Chelmsford Community Radio presenter Michelle Durant.
September 25th 2021
A vigil was held at the Knife Angel to remember lives lost to youth violence. Guest speakers Stuart Newton and Eugene Scardifield were able to attend thanks to funding from Essex Violence and Vulnerability unit. Keep It 100 designed and arranged the event with support from Chelmsford CVS and Chelmsford Theatres team, The event was designed to centre around young people and a’ circle of light’ was designed to involve 42 young people from across Essex with white hoodies representing positivity and hope.
SEPTEMBER 20th - 25TH 2021
As part of the Knife Angel visit, Chelmsford Theatres designed an adaptation of Shakespeares play Romeo for Juliet, Directed by Mike Dodds. In synergy with the ethics of Keep It 100 Youth CIC he initiative was designed to provide young actors from across Essex with paid opportunity and support with their career pathways. The adaptation was focused on contemporary gang culture, with the Blood on your hands trainers initiative from Keep It 100 promo video. Many hundreds attended over the 5 day period enjoyed the free events in central Park Chelmsford. The performances took place at the plinth of the Knife Angel at dusk, with the Angel being lit up at night.
OUTREACH AT THE KNIFE ANGEL
September 6th 2021
KNIFE ANGEL CHELMSFORD ARRIVAL
JULY 30TH 2021
The team travelled to Leicestershire’s Savfest to see anti violence campaigner Eugene Scardifield recite his poem about violence. The team at Savfest introduced us to Eugene when we put out an appeal for speakers against violence as part of our Knife angel vigil happening in September. Eugenes powerful reciting had us moved and we are looking forward to bringing him to Chelmsford to recite his poem - dedicated to his brother Michael, who was murdered by way of strangulation in 2016. Eugene works to keep his brothers memory alive by writing poetry to support other bereaved families. What a honour to meet you Eugene! Special thanks to Safest team for the introduction too.
May 2021
Whilst planning the Knife Angel Chelmsford vigil, it came t o our attention that there is no national day to recognise youth violence. Our Founder set about creating a national vigil and created a petition to get the incentive backing. As part of the vigil other cities were invited to hold their own vigil to co inside with Chelmsford’s event and a petition was started. Link to petition here
BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS TRAINERS?
TO DRIVE AWARENESS OF THE CURRENT TREND FOR TRAINERS AS A TOOL OF EXPLOITATION - WE DESIGNED A VIDEO TO HIGHLIGHT THE ISSUE AND PROVOKE THOUGHT. WITH FUNDING FROM CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCIL, WE COMMISSIONED UNDER 25’S IN ESSEX TO FILM AND PRODUCE THE VIDEO.