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Draft:Junior Smart

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Junior Smart OBE (6th September 1975) is a social activist, social entrepreneur and youth and community leader known for his significant contributions to youth development, gang intervention, and community empowerment. He was honoured with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his outstanding service to society in 2020.[1][2][3][4][5]

Junior Smart is not only a Youth Leader but a qualified trainer and recognised violence intervention specialist[6][7]. Despite dropping out of education at the age of 14 he achieved a First Class degree in Youth Work and Distinction in his MA in Criminology, Youth Crime and Justice. Whilst undertaking his PhD at Middlesex University into the connection between gangs and families he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Greenwich University in Education.[8][9][10][11][12]

Background[edit]

in 2001 Junior was sentenced to 12 years in prison for serious drug-related offences. It was while in custody, seeing the cycle of re-offending and helplessness of other inmates, he vowed to prevent what happened to him from happening to others. This led him to first becoming trained by the Samaritans as a Listener at HMP Highdown, a scheme where trained inmates provide support to others going through crisis in prison to then establishing the Toe by Toe reading scheme at HMP Swaleside[5][13][14] From there he went to mentor and support other offenders including those at HMPYOI Rochester . On his release in 2006, with the support of the St Giles Trust, Junior founded the award-winning SOS Project. What started in 2006 as a small pilot project in Southwark grew to become the largest ex-offender led project in the country; helping thousands of young people make a safe and sustained exit from serious violence and criminal exploitation through county lines.[11][15][16]

In 2008, Junior Smart developed the SOS+ project which delivers preventative and early intervention work to children and young people in schools, alternative learning establishments and communities; as well as providing training for parents and professionals. The approach uses trained individuals with lived experience of the criminal justice system to equip children and young people to think critically, assess risk and make better life choices, making them more resilient to the risks of becoming involved in gangs, exploitation and violence.[8][17][18][19][20]

Activism and Campaigning Interests[edit]

Smart's interests includes being a supporter for Prison Reform and Rehabilitation, sitting on numerous panels and repeatedly speaking out about the issues of custody, incarceration and its shortcomings and calling for change.[11][21][22][23][24][25]

He is an advocate of social justice pushing for systemic reform and education so that marginalised communities can step into leadership and decision-making positions, so that they no longer “co-produce but produce the services” and for power to be meaningfully shifted.[18][26][27][28][29][30]

Junior Smart is a supporter of youth work and has spoken on a number of occasions about the money which has been taken out of youth support services across the UK.[31][32]

Junior's work continues to centre on youth empowerment, violence desistance and owing to his expertise is a regular correspondent for both the news and media on the subject matter of County Lines, young people, Criminal Exploitation, vulnerabilities and peer to peer violence.[2][21][33][34][35][36] He regularly designs new projects, feeds into research and public policy and is a recognised consultant and trainer advising bodies on best practice.[9][25][37]

Recognition and Awards[edit]

Junior Smart has earned numerous awards and accolades including:

  • 2008: Elected as an Ashoka Fellow[1][14]
  • 2014: Evening Standard: London's most influential people 2014 - Campaigners[38]
  • 2015: Evening Standard: London's most influential people 2015 - Campaigners[39]
  • 2017: Rare Rising Star Award: Winner[40]
  • 2018: University of Greenwich: Honorary Doctorate[6][8][10]
  • 2019: Evening Standard: The Progress 1000: London's most influential people 2019 – Activists: Equality[41]
  • 2022: Social Enterprise UK: Honorary Fellowship[42]

Legacy[edit]

Junior Smart's work continues to inspire individuals and organizations worldwide.[43] His dedication to addressing the complex issues surrounding youth violence and gang involvement has left a lasting impact on communities and policymakers alike.

On the 29th June 2023 he provided oral evidence to the UK Parliament on the subject of how drugs factor into criminal exploitation and advocating the need for better investment in services and how those vulnerable people involved are treated.[44]

On the 4th July 2023 he was called to provide oral to the Education Committee regarding Child exploitation and county lines.[45]

Junior's work and leadership has meant that projects and individuals he develops have gone on to win awards. The SOS Project working with young people involved in gangs Youth Violence won the Advice, Support and Advocacy category of the Charity Awards of 2014.[46] In November 2014, Mona Morrison of SOS project, St Giles received the Highly Commended Longford Prize, in recognition of successful projects with youth gangs. CJ Burge from the SOS team was runner up Criminal Justice Champion at the Howard League's awards.[47]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Junior Smart - St Giles Trust (SOS Project)". Ashoka. 2008. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  2. ^ a b William, Helen (2019-12-27). "Former prisoner 'humbled' by OBE for tackling gang violence". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  3. ^ "Gangs project founder picks up OBE from Buckingham Palace". St Giles (Press release). 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  4. ^ "The London Drugs Commission | London City Hall". City of London. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  5. ^ a b Abramson, Noah (11 March 2020). "He Made a Difference: Junior Smart, founder, the SOS Project". ThirdSector. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  6. ^ a b "Honorary Graduates | Awards ceremonies". University of Greenwich. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  7. ^ "Junior Smart". CCC Limited. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  8. ^ a b c "Junior Smart • Founder of the SOS Project at St. Giles Trust". Commission on Young Lives. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  9. ^ a b "About Us | People | Junior Smart". Cumberland Lodge. Archived from the original on 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  10. ^ a b "Congratulations Dr Smart!". St Giles Trust (Press release). 2018-12-10. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  11. ^ a b c "Supporting Rehabilitation | City & Guilds Foundation". City and Guilds Foundation. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  12. ^ Andell, Paul; Pitts, John, eds. (2023). The Palgrave Handbook of Youth Gangs in the UK. Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-99658-1. ISBN 9783030996574. S2CID 256904922.
  13. ^ "Breaking the cycle - Egon Zehnder". Breaking the cycle - Egon Zehnder. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  14. ^ a b "Junior Smart: St. Giles' Sos Project". Aleron. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  15. ^ "Violence Reduction". www.c4ts.qmul.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  16. ^ "Naomi Hulston and Junior Smart OBE join Youth Endowment Fund Committee". Youth Endowment Fund. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  17. ^ McLean, Robert (2020-01-30). "Understanding and Policing Gangs | Cumberland Lodge". Cumberland Lodge. p. 63. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  18. ^ a b Hughes-Hallett, Sir Thomas (2021-10-18). "The Change Makers: How to Create Better Lives". Buzz Sprout. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  19. ^ "Junior Smart, SOS Project". SSE. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  20. ^ "SOS+ Service". St Giles Trust. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  21. ^ a b Coleman, Nicole (2018-07-16). "Tackling London's epidemic of youth violence". Middlesex University Minds. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  22. ^ "Inspired to learn". ArtsProfessional. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  23. ^ Offard, Adam (2017-01-03). "Smart way to tackle gangs: Junior Smart, founder, SOS Gangs Project". Children & Young People Now. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  24. ^ "Our Trustees". Prison Reform Trust. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  25. ^ a b Dagger, Richard (2012). "Playing Fair with Prisoners". RSA Journal. 158 (5552): 16–19. ISSN 0958-0433. JSTOR 26204166.
  26. ^ Thomas, Jane (Autumn 2010). Noble, James (ed.). ""Smart Thinking for Young Offenders" in Through the Gate: A collection of articles on the criminal justice sector" (PDF). Think NPC. pp. 13–14. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  27. ^ Smart, Junior (2021-07-14). "County Lines: How the headlines distract from the reality". St Giles Trust. Retrieved 2023-09-08 – via YouTube.
  28. ^ "Annual conference". acf.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  29. ^ Kingsley, Thomas (2022-01-21). "Skill Up Step Up: How jobs keep young people out of gangs". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  30. ^ "LEx Elders – Lived Experience Movement". lexmovement.org. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  31. ^ "Serious youth violence is everyone's responsibility". St Giles Trust. 2018-04-23. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  32. ^ Sinclair, Andrew (2023-07-05). "Youth service cuts create void for drugs gangs - Southend council". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  33. ^ Hymas, Charles (2019-03-19). "Children 'enslaved' by drug gangs has risen from 35 to almost 1,000 in two years, says National Crime Agency". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  34. ^ Helm, Toby (2012-10-27). "'Seizing gang leaders isn't the answer. I should know. I used to be a member'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  35. ^ Hardy, Ben (2022-02-12). "'Negative spiral' - Reformed ex-offender reacts to city violence". Norwich Evening News. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  36. ^ Bernard, Redzi (2023-01-02). "Lights Out: County Lines". Redzi Bernard (Podcast). Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  37. ^ Kavanagh, Laura; Borrill, Jo (December 2013). "Exploring the experiences of ex-offender mentors". Probation Journal. 60 (4): 400–414. doi:10.1177/0264550513502247. ISSN 0264-5505. S2CID 145450723.
  38. ^ "The 1000: London's most influential people 2014 - Campaigners". Evening Standard. 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  39. ^ "The Progress 1000: London's most influential people 2015 - Campaigners". Evening Standard. 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  40. ^ "Rare Rising Stars 2017". www.rarerecruitment.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  41. ^ "The Progress 1000: London's most influential people 2019 – Activists: Equality". Evening Standard. 2019-10-03. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  42. ^ Hopkirk, James (2022-11-22). "Honorary Fellowship | Social Enterprise UK". Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  43. ^ "Junior Smart, SOS Project". SSE. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  44. ^ "Home Affairs Committee - Oral Hearing Drugs". UK Parliment. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  45. ^ UK Parliament (4 July 2023). "Oral evidence: Child exploitation and county lines".
  46. ^ "St Giles Trust: Winning a Charity Award was a vindication of our work". www.civilsociety.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  47. ^ "The Howard League | Howard League Community Awards for successful projects that cut crime". The Howard League. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
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