Our main aim is to reduce the numbers of young Somalis who are in touch with the criminal justice system and to support both them and the ones who are at risk of offending.

We hold Crime Prevention Sessions and workshops with the youth, reflecting on criminal activities that are around all of us.

Preventing Radicalism and extremism

In cooperation with a partner organisation, we were successfully able to create a project to help all Muslims in Bristol to target radicalisation and extremism.

The Somali Development Group is already recognised for being a very experienced organisation for fighting radicalism and extremism. We owe this greatly to the success of a project called Preventing Violent Extremism, commissioned by the Youth Offending team.

This new project we have organised involves:

• Encouraging different Muslim communities from all ethnic backgrounds to become cohesive and to support each other to become one big community.

• Engaging Muslim youths (who are perhaps at risk of adapting radicalised ideologies) by getting them involved in fun leisure activities.

• Working very closely with different Mosques in Bristol and supporting them however much we can.

• Creating Mosque Champions, which are one or two young people who will do mentoring sessions. We have set up this system to provide positive role models for the young people.

Through this, the youths will get the needed support to start heading towards a more positive future. This project will end by the 31st of March and we are more than keen on making this project successful.