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8/8/2019 Mail on Sunday - You Magazine

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DIANAAWARDS

THEY WERENT

BORN BAD,BUTTHEY WERE SUCKED INTOGANG CULTUREBECAUSE THEYCOULDNT SEE AN ALTERNATIV

For more than a decade since the death of Princess Diana, an award schset up in her name has celebrated the power of young people to changeworld. Catherine OBrientalks to four of this years winners who have had toconfront some of the most terrifying threats in todays society gang violeand knife crime. Their inspirational stories illustrate everyones potential tobecome a force for good even when faced with the most desperate oddPhotographs CHARLOTTE MURPHY and MARTIN HUNTER

THE KNIFE-CRIME CAMPAIGNERS

Plevna Road is much like any other side street in

North London. A stones throw from the shopping

parade in Edmonton Green, it leads to a labyrinth

of residential streets, a health clinic and the local

library. Getride Sukama Lumengo cannot

walk along its pavements,

however, without thinking of the

dying moments of her friendHenry Bolombi.

Henry was 17 when,

along with nine other

teenagers, he became

after a night out. He jumped off

and was running down Plevna

Road when his assailants

caught up with him and

stabbed him repeatedly. He was pronounced

dead shortly after being taken to hospital.

Henry was not the sort of victim who

easily evoked sympathy. Known as Black H,

he ran a gang called the Cage Boys and hisdeath was undoubtedly down to gangland

rivalry. To Getride, however, he was funny

Henry, the close friend of her older brother

Joe, who came to their house almost every

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day, where they watched football together and

fooled around.

He was a good guy who had gone down the

wrong path in life, because that is what happens

to boys around here, Getride says.

Three weeks after Henry

was killed, Getride was

walking home from school

when her elder sister Danielle

called to say that another boy

she knew, 18-year-old art and

design student Louis

Boduka, had been stabbed

and killed just a few hundred

yards away from the scene of

Henrys death. You hear

about street stabbings, but

you never think it is going to happen so close to

home, Getride says. Then, after Henry and

Louis died, everyone was asking: What arethe police doing about it? But I started to think,

What are we doing? Its down to all of us to

take responsibility for what is happening.

With her best friend Mildred Edoukou, Getride

decided to launch Breakin the Cycle a

ground-breaking campaign to halt knife crime.

Through school assemblies, they addressed their

fellow pupils about the futility and dangers of

gang culture. We talked to everyone about Henry

and Louis as real people, rather than remote

victims, says Getride. We explained what their

families had said about them at their funerals.

They werent born bad, but they were sucked into

gang culture because, around here, they couldnt

see any alternative.

Getride and Mildreds thought-provoking

work, which also included distributing signature

T-shirts and key rings, has now been recognised

by a Diana Award. These girls demonstrated not

only how to pursue a better path, but also how to

become positive leaders of tomorrow, said thejudges in their award citation.

Getride and Mildred is the strength of the bond

between them. Both are 18 and come from

families that have been hit by hardship. Getride,

the youngest of six children, lost her 48-year-old

father to a brain haemorrhage seven years ago.

Her mother doesnt work and they live on

parents are separated her taxi driver father lives

in South London, her mother works in Tesco.

Hannah, who nominated Getride and Mildred

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the award has made us realise that people do

Getride. Mildred adds: We have seen the

You hear aboutstreet stabbingsbut you neverthink it is goingto happen soclose to homeReproduced by Durrants under licence from the NLA (newspapers), CLA (magazines), FT printing of digital cuttings), digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted exceptowner. All FT content is copyright The Financial Times Ltd.

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Mildred Edoukou (left)

and Getride Sukama

Lumengo want to bring

an end to street violence

YOU 28 NOVEMBER 2010Reproduced by Durrants under licence from the NLA (newspapers), CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or o

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THE SPORTS COACH

Jonathan Pitcher raises his T-shirt to reveal two small

puncture marks on the lefthand side of his torso.

They are the only visible evidence that remains of the

random knife attack that could have so easily cost

him his life little more than a year ago. I thought I was

streetwise that I knew how to stay out of trouble

but the one time I let my guard down, I came under

attack, he says.

In June 2009, Jonathan, then 17, was out with

three friends two girls and another boy when,

two miles from the quiet, residential street where he

evening, he recalls. One of my friends, Abi, had

just passed her driving test and was taking us out.

Because she was inexperienced, she was driving

slowly. Another car came along, went to overtake

and missed Abis car by millimetres. As it went by,

someone inside lobbed a missile through the open

window of Abis car and it hit me in the face.

A couple of moments later, Jonathan and his

friends made their way around the street corner

and saw the gang from the car waiting for them. I

should have known better, but I was so annoyed, I

got out of the car, and before I knew it, I was under

dragged me back and when I looked down, blood

was dripping from my side. The gang drove off,

and my friends got me to hospital where I was

found to have a punctured lung. My worst moment

was seeing the devastation in my parents faces

when they arrived. My dad said, Why did you put

yourself in that situation? And I just didnt have an

answer for him.

The son of a retired BT engineer father and

was discharged from hospital after three days, but

spent a month bed-bound at home. He then found

that although he was recovering physically,

mentally he remained traumatised. I felt vulnerable

and paranoid. I remember not wanting to go out

even for my 18th birthday in September. He had

always been active playing hockey, football,

plummeted. Then a friend coaxed him into doing a

charity fun run. I had no stamina, and I knew I

would have to walk most of the course, but I

realised I could either become a victim and a

recluse, or get myself back out there.

Shortly after completing the fun run and

coming a proud last Jonathan returned to his

local hockey club where he had been one of the

top players. Although he was not yet well enough

to play, he offered his services as a coach, workingwith the junior team teenagers three or four years

younger than him. Sport had always helped me

steer clear of trouble, and I wanted to help other

kids realise that they could have much more fun on

the pitch than hanging out on the street. Teaching

made me feel better about myself.

What Jonathan didnt know was that he was

being watched closely by staff at Kingsmead

School, where he was an upper-sixth pupil. Directorof sixth form Ionie Young explains: We were all

that he might give up on his studies. He had never

amazing thing was that after the attack, he seemed

empowered. He bounced back academically

and his attitude was an inspiration to everyone in

his year group. Mrs Young nominated Jonathan

for a Diana Award after secretly watching his

coaching sessions at Winchmore Hill HockeyClub. He gave up his evenings and weekends

and was always willing to put himself out for others

without expectation or reward. Hes proof that

there is nothing you cant do if you put your mind

to it, and that helping others is often the best way

of helping yourself.

playing hockey as well as coaching. Hes secured

three A-levels an A and two Bs and is taking a

gap year before going to university where he hopes

Diana died and I didnt understand what she stood

for, he says. But now I can see that she believed

young people could make a difference. And

winning the award has made me realise that, in a

small way, that is what Ive been able to do, too.Reproduced by Durrants under licence from the NLA (newspapers), CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or other copyrighprinting of digital cuttings), digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted except under licence from the copyright owner.owner. All FT content is copyright The Financial Times Ltd.

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I felt vulnerableand paranoid.I remember not

wanting to go outJonathan Pitcher found that teaching

hockey to youngsters helped restore

his confidence following his attack

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