Spark2Life is a new educational initiative coming straight out of the heart of the urban youth culture. Spark2Life is an acronym for: Sharing Positive and Relevant Keys to Life, and is pioneered by Dez Brown a Youth Worker in East London. His life has since radically changed and Dez now gives his time and energy communicating to and training young people to live out their potential. Dez is fully aware of the challenges faced by young people: issues with identity and reputation (street cred), postcode warfare, knife and gun crime and societal dysfunction to name but a few. In the face of rising youth crime, young people carrying weapons and displaying antisocial behaviour, Dez’s first book, ‘Convicted or Condemned’ (2005) is ‘a gritty true story, written from the heart’.
Click Here To Buy A Copy Of Dez's "Convicted or Condemned".
Dez has over 12 years in youth and community work. At present amongst other duties, Dez currently leads a thriving youth ministry in east London targeting 13-19 year olds. He and his group has also had the privilege to work and take a lead on various community initiatives such as:
- Defending Da Hood; a project aimed at engaging with hard-to-reach young people in the inner city of London.
- TRUCE;co-ordinating a three-week initiative targeting 20 estates in Hackney and Waltham Forest to reach young people, with the aim sharing hope to make a positive life decision.
- Sowlight; Dez leads a team of young people for bi-monthly visits to Young offender Prisons.
- Ascham Homes; organising young people to deliver creative arts workshops (drama, dance, multimedia and music) for Ascham Homes Housing Association during the summer holidays.
Dez is an effective communicator who is able to communicate to large groups and congregations. Through the Spark2Life Educational Programme, Dez with a team of talented staff and student interns aims to work with and serve schools and other organisations by meeting the educational needs of young people and encouraging a positive social and behavioural life style.
For more information about our educational programme or to make a booking for your school or organisation, please contact Spark2Life:
2007 National Award winners for their outstanding Contribution to tackling youth crime
Spark 2 Life has been highly successful in assisting the police tackle the issue of youth crime in Wandsworth area of London. Led by Dez Brown, himself a reformed offender and now youth pastor, who is supported by Lorraine King, a specialist teacher from Wandsworth Council, the project goes into schools and community centres, targeting children with bad behaviour and high levels of absenteeism.
Through the programme Dez recounts his own experiences of crime, challenging how teenagers within the Borough perceive knife, gun and drug culture.
The result of the scheme has been an immediate and unprecedented fall in youth Crime and a greater confidence in the Criminal Justice System as a whole. It has personally altered the lives of many people, and in the case of one school, helped lift it out of Special Measures.
Go to the Youth Justice Awards site, click "Team awards finalists" > "Outstanding contribution to tackling youth crime"
FAO: Amma Ntiriwaa (Spark2Life Co-ordinator)
Telephone: 0203 006 1363
Email: spark2life@hotmail.co.uk
Click below to download the Adobe file of the Spark2Life lesson plans and lesson delivery
Spark2Life Educational Programme - PDF.pdf
