Ill Manors
Life for Young People in Firs & Bromford
Ill Manors
“We’ve had it with you politicians
you bloody rich kids never listen
There’s no such thing as broken Britain
We’re just bloody broke in Britain
What needs fixing is the system
Not shop windows down in Brixton
Riots on the television
You can’t put us all in prison!”
Plan B
C.H.A.V.
Council
Housed
And
Violent
BROMFORD ESTATE
• Council Estate in East Birmingham
• High Levels of Unemployment & Low
Educational Achievement
• High numbers of N.E.E.T. Young People
• Fair share of problems with Drugs, Crime,
ASB & Mental Health
• Broken Britain or Big Society
Bromford Estate
• Daily Mail January 2011
• “7th Most workshy estate in Britain”
• “Home of the workshy”
• Stats Don’t lie??
• What is the story behind the stat’s and
the headlines?
Bromford Estate
• Culture & Society
• Family
• Young People’s Aspirations
Society & Culture
• Kids have Little or No respect for authority
• Police, Teachers, Politicians etc.
• Feel ignored & isolated & Uncared for
• So young people don’t listen
• Turn to hip-hop & Grime music
• Romanticises Violence & Crime, possessions &
Power by fear
• What do young people value?
Family
• Broken Families
• Dysfunctional Families
• Single parents, drugs & alcohol abuse
• Children raised to believe they cannot
achieve anything or do anything with life
• Not shown any encouragement or
motivation
• Family is important & Valued?
Aspirations
• Don’t want to work hard
• Don’t want to achieve or work or contribute
• I have never met a young person who
doesn’t want success, a job, a good life
• Young People don’t know what it is to
achieve
• Role models & examples
• Celebrating success & valuing achievement
Final Words
• "There is demonisation of youth throughout the media.
People fall for it. If you had no direct contact with the
kids how can you judge them?“
• "How did we get to a society that cares more about
shops and businesses than lives of young people.“
• "You've got kids that do not feel part of society & they
start rioting & looting. Taking things society says are
the most important things.“
• "Find out what these kids are good at, what they care
about, what they like, and draw it out of them” because
it will change lives."