In late 2003, in response to an Evaluation Form completed by an inmate at HM YOI Aylesbury who wrote 'If I'd had something like this
session at school, I don't think I'd be here now', Outside Chance developed a 70-minute workshop called 'You Don't Know Who You're
Dealing With!. We trialed the project in West London between September 2003 and March 2004 with a forecast audience of 250 pupils
and young people. In just 6 months, we had seen 860 young people, such was the response from local schools and youth groups who saw
the workshop as an effective, powerful, crime intervention programme.
We successfully fundraised in the summer of 2004 before relaunching
a three-year project with a forecast audience of 7,000 pupils and young people in community and youth groups.
At the close of Year 4 of the project in August 2008, our workshops have been seen by 52,380+ young people across
London and Essex in 218 venues. We have achieved all of this with little additional funding since it costs the
same to deliver a workshop to 5 people as it does to 500. Only the people-moving logistics change in each venue.
We challenge
peer pressure, bullying, racism, binge drinking, homophobia, anti social behaviour and deglamourise crime in all its forms.
We take the viewer through life in a young offender institution with actual prison clothing, prison conditions and the long term consequences
of a criminal record on potential employment, training opportunities, credit, etc, factors which may blight them long into their adult
lives.
We are currently fund-raising for the 2008-2009 school year and beyond. See the 'User Feedback' page and 'Downloads'
page.