Our first point of contact with children and young people is often out on the streets. Our team is skilled and experienced and able to build relationships with young people who may otherwise come across as threatening or intimidating.

Street Level is the name we give to this detached youthwork. We work in three areas of Erdington and are present on the streets of these communities at least three times each week. As we meet with children and young people we talk with them, discover their interests, aspirations, concerns and frustrations and find out how they feel about their area. We are able to refer them to different activities as well as using their feedback to inform future activities that we may run. We work in partnership with other organisations such as housing associations and the police to focus on areas that have a reputation for anti-social behaviour. Through 2010 one of these 'hotspot' areas that had also become a prime recruiting area for gangs underwent a dramatic transformation. In the last quarter of 2010 police reported no crimes and attributed this to Street Level and the other activities that we run!

Through Street Level we have been able to diffuse violent conflict situations, connect people with education, training and employment opportunities and point people towards positive activities. Some of our current volunteer team are people that we initially got to know by walking the streets and talking to young people standing on street corners.

We also set our football Cage up in car parks and green spaces. Alongside our Street Level Van this becomes a focal point for children and young people to gather and removes potential awkwardness in meeting new people. Our van has been converted to contain a state of the art sound system which allows us to DJ from the back of it!