Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

This page has been set up to help run Challenge 4 Change's powerful Knife Crime Prevention Programmes. To assist in this we have an anonymous donor who will donate 50p for every £1 you donate thus increasing the size of your donation by a third.

During our first decade we have developed programmes that have changed the lives of countless young people at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity.

Knife crime has been one of our focus areas and over the past year we have noticed that the issue is affecting more young people.

A recent Dispatches programme on Channel 4 reported a 93 per cent rise in the number of 16-year-olds and under being treated for stab wounds in the last five years.

The reasons young people become involved in knife crime are varied, but a major factor is drugs and also the perceived need to carry a knife for protection.

There isn’t a great deal of thought about the consequences and impact on their lives or those of others.

Our radical and innovative programmes help to prevent young people from committing knife-related crime by:
• Changing their attitudes to carrying weapons
• Helping those affected by knife crime to build their self confidence and self-esteem
• Keeping them engaged in education and training
• Providing a positive focus and role models to help them build a strong support network and therefore lower the risk of isolation and grooming into gang/drug- related activity.

We address the issue through discussions and our bespoke Teammates not Inmates programme, which demonstrates the impact of knife crime using our purpose-built jail while encouraging teamwork, self-confidence and self-esteem through a variety of ground-level and indoor high ropes activities.

Teammates not Inmates is delivered by a former prisoner and an ex-prison officer to give those attending a realistic experience while equipping them with the knowledge, skills and experience to help them make better choices for themselves.

Challenge 4 Change also offers alternative education provision for those on the cusp of exclusion from school, with a focus on re-engaging and motivating them to raise their aspirations and achieve their potential.

We are delighted to announce that a donor, who wishes to be anonymous, has made an amazing financial pledge to help us reach more young people.

The benefactor is so impressed with the difference we make that they are willing to give 50p for every £1 donated by others, up to a maximum of £125,000.

If we achieve that goal, it means Challenge 4 Change will have an additional £375,000 to tackle knife crime across Greater Manchester.

By way of example, this money would fund:
• 100 facilitated knife crime prevention discussions for 2,000 young people identified as being at risk in education and training establishments;
• 70 bespoke Team-mates not Inmates programmes for 700 young people identified as at risk of being involved in knife crime;
• 71 confidence and self-esteem building interventions for 1,704 young people affected by knife crime
• A dozen 12-week Alternative Provision programmes for 120 young people on the cusp of exclusion from education.

This means that, in total, the funding could help change over 4,500 lives.
If you'd like to find out more about our work, or come and see what we do, please email info@challenge4change.org and arrange to pop down for a visit.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.