The Liverpool Project
The Liverpool Project; a charity stopping young people dying on our streets.
About You
Background Information
First Name
simon
Last Name
jackson
Twitter URL
Facebook URL
The competition is only open to people between 18-34 years-old and resident in UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark or the Netherlands. Does this apply to you
Yes.
Country of residence of entrepreneur
UK
Tell us about your personal background. Why are you passionate about this issue? Making an idea a reality takes innovation, dedication and strong leadership. Do you have the necessary entrepreneurial skills to realize your vision?
I am a doctor working in inner city Liverpool. In 2008, myself and my fellow innovator, Dr Nick Rhead, talked to a group of young offenders aged between 12 to 17 and found that 11 out of 11 had seen somebody stabbed and 3 out of the 11 had seen somebody shot. Every year across Europe 15,000 young people aged 10-29 die from violence. We started teaching at risk young people across Liverpool how to manage a shooting or stabbing at the scene as decreasing blood loss is one of the most important factors in saving a life. Since 2008, whilst working full time and running this organisation we have taken this innovative idea and seen The Liverpool Project blossom and now we have 70 medical students and junior doctors in 4 of the most violent cities across the UK teaching young people. We know that our teaching has been put into practice at least twice and hundreds of young people have been taught life saving skills. We have been selected as one of the Britain's New Radicals for our innovation and have recently attended the Ashoka linked Emerge Venture Lab which provides budding social entrepreneurs with the skills to develop and expand on their idea.
About Your Organization
Organization Name
The Liverpool Project
Organization Website
Organization Country
United Kingdom, LIV
Country where this project is creating social impact
United Kingdom, LIV
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
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Innovation
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
Rhys Jones and Anthony Walker. High profile murders of young people by young people. Unfortunately such incidents have been increasing over the past decade in most major cities in the UK. When someone is shot or stabbed it is vital that they receive medical attention immediately. Too often those present at the scene of an injury aren't confident or skilled and panic, leaving without calling an ambulance or providing basic first aid. Provision of haemorrhage control at the scene could decrease blood loss and save lives.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
We have developed an interactive teaching programme. Medical students and junior doctors teach high risk young people how to provide haemorrhage control management at the scene of a knife or gun crime. Young people learn how to call for help effectively, how to use the materials available on the street to reduce blood loss. We are attempting to scale our model to every Youth Offender Team in violent cities across the UK to allow our dynamic teachers to teach those in need and have real impact saving lives.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
This is an actual true account of what happened with somebody we taught. “Dave” left the Liverpool Project teaching on haemorrhage control that Friday evening. He was walking down a dark street with 2 friends when they were attacked by a group of youths. Afterwards Dave found his friend lying on the ground bleeding from a knife protruding from his abdomen. Dave, remembering the teaching given that night, phoned an ambulance, kept his friend warm, applied pressure with a bandage created from socks, reassured his friend and elevated both legs to provide extra blood. His friend survived after surgery.
How did Dave know what to do when his friend was stabbed? Specially selected medical students and junior doctors attended his young offenders group as part of their remuneration hours to society. For 90 minutes he was involved in an interactive and integrated teaching programme, designed to allow easy recall of information. He learnt about symptoms of blood loss from others in the group, they discussed the basic physiology of haemorrhaging. He learnt how to provide basic management. Afterwards, like many of his colleagues, he reported a change in attitude to knives and guns and thought the session was “excellent”.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Within the UK, if not the world, we are the only organisation that aims to teach at risk young people how to manage haemorrhaging at the scene of a violent crime. In that sense we have no other “competitors”. However there are other government and non-government organisations who teach about prevention of violent crime. While we indirectly highlight the need to not commit violent crimes we do not make attempts on deterrence currently. However we aim to add this vital task into our teaching in the future, through a co-operative approach with existing organisations.
Select the stage that best applies to your business
Operating for 1-5 years
This Entry is about (Issues)
Social Impact
What is the social impact you have had to date and how you measure it?
Prior to our organisation beginning if a person was stabbed or shot, other than often dangerous attempts at help (ie removing knife), the victim continued bleeding until the scene was safe for paramedics to attend. We have devised a method that allows immediate provision of haemorrhage control from those present. To date two people have had our management applied to them, and hundreds of at risk young people have received our training. Currently we have Key Performance Indicators to assess numbers taught and change in attitudes.
Sustainability
How does your model address financial, social, and environmental sustainability?
We are developing a sustainable business model, generating revenue from Youth Offending Teams and other groups working with at-risk young people, charging them a small amount for our teaching. Medical schools and education departments of hospitals pay for us to train their medical students cultivating their communication and teaching skills.
We strive to take an environmentally sustainable approach, so that our work has no negative effect on the environment.
We are aiming to develop our program so that the at-risk young people we teach become trainers and teach other young people trauma management skills, alongside medical students. We would like Young Offenders and young people to pioneer and improve the program with medical students and experts in the field, creating social sustainability. Our teaching gives young people greater confidence allowing them to redefine themselves as life-savers. We hope that we can help build momentum for at-risk young people to make positive long term changes in their lives.
Our partnerships with Youth Offending Teams, hospitals and medical schools are essential to build our volunteers' skills and to gain access to the at risk young people we teach.
Awareness & learning
How do you see social entrepreneurship contributing to the improvement of developing countries?
Providing aid to developing countries is analogous to 'give a man a fish and he can feed himself for a day'. Aid often has short term benefits but the long term benefits can be marred by government interference, stagnation and other negatives. At the other extreme pure businesses may profit in developing countries and export the finance out of the country, whilst neglecting those at need. However social entrepreneurship combines two elements of sound financial sustainability and solutions to local social issues. Social entrepreneurship can help developing countries by changing business practise and people away from focusing solely on profit, but using finance as an intelligent means to solving social issues and therefore working analogously to ‘teach a man to fish and he can feed himself for a lifetime”.
What aspects of your stay in Uganda as part of the competition do you think you will find most challenging and rewarding?
In Uganda the most challenging areas would be trying to learn as much as possible from the people. Our project has the potential to scale up and have real impact saving lives. It will be challenging and interesting to consider how our model could change in different places and be tailored to specific needs.
Whilst in Uganda I believe it would be beneficial and rewarding to see and hear about the inspirational work being conducted by VSO and from other people attending and how they are trying to bring about social change. Reflecting on this can bring new ideas and solutions to problems The Liverpool Project is facing.
Whilst in Uganda I believe it would be beneficial and rewarding to see and hear about the inspirational work being conducted by VSO and from other people attending and how they are trying to bring about social change. Reflecting on this can bring new ideas and solutions to problems The Liverpool Project is facing.
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