SDG 16

With Nottinghamshire Police recording over 800 knife related offences in mid-2022, fear of knife crime in the city has been on the rise.

Save Reality identified that innovative education could be a key tool in reducing and preventing knife crime among young people, particularly seeing a lack in choice-based education initiatives.

Young people were targeted as they are often the most vulnerable to knife crime and lack the space to have constructive conversations about the consequences of knife crime and their own experiences.

Save Reality utilised virtual reality technology to educate young people on knife crime, offering them a choice-based experience to understand where to find specialised first aid kits and bleed kits in Nottingham city centre and teaching them how to use the bleed kits effectively. This equips them with the knowledge of how save a life if they ever face a knife incident in person.

This immersive experience enabled greater opportunity for powerful discussion, bringing together real-life social and emergency situations to increase the depth of classroom conversation.

Save Reality’s interviews with the young people they impacted showed that by creating a narrative around saving a life they enabled empathy development, breaking down barriers and facilitated authentic discussions.

When young people felt able to share their experiences safely, this also allowed them to access support and receive important safeguarding interventions.