The recent riots and looting we have witnessed throughout England have (for a short time at least) placed the governments focus on society and local communities.
BBC Radio 4 presenter Robin Lustig says that the riots have led to some important questions -
"Is poor parenting partially to blame? Is the anger of many urban youths stemmed by absent fathers. How many young rioters come from stable, loving, two-parent homes?"
"Was the violence a consequence of high unemployment and a continuing festering economy? Would more jobs mean less risk of riots?"
The BBC's London News reporter Andy Dangerfield spoke to Kim Gardner, a former gang member and who now mentors young people involved in gangs to try to help them turn their lives around.
She says..."Young people are bored and feel they have nothing to lose"..."Underprivileged youths have told me they feel that no one cares any more"..."It boils down to a lack of hope and little regard for their own communities"..."Many youth clubs have had their funding taken away and there haven't been many activities organised for children this summer"
What then can sport, in this case football, do to help?
Well the football charity Street League is a great place to start. Founded in 2001, Street League "delivers structured football and employability programmes to some of the most disadvantaged young people across the UK"
They work with groups of 16 - 25 year olds who are not involved in education, employment or training and who many have been criminal offenders and substance users.
The Telegraphs Jim White went to see Street League in action and met people who had been through the set-up first hand. Robert Biggs was one of those people.
"The 19 year-old had a shambolic upbringing of poor school attendance, then convictions for affray and disorder. Finding himself at 16 without qualifications, he joined the army only to be discharged after two years. He heard about the league while living in an ex-servicemen’s hostel after a spell on the streets"...
"The academy took him through entry-level FA coaching badges, put him on a refereeing course, helped him buff up his CV, re-engaged him once more in education. After completing the academy programme, next month he will enrol in Hackney College to take a Level Two Sports Diploma. He now sees a future for himself, his ambition is to become a community football coach"
My thoughts are that charities like Street League are essential to society and communities. The work they do with inner city groups is inspirational. As I've talked about in previous posts, coaching or teaching, at whatever level and involvement should always be about the people. If we change our philosophy to this then I believe we can thrive as communities and bring back those people who feel that no one cares about them.
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