Following a spate of stabbings in Croydon and across South London in recent weeks, the persistence of violence and gangs in the region has again been placed at the forefront of the discourse.

However, the experience of women and girls has often been absent from that conversation, as a new documentary featured in the Croydon Guardian recently explored.

Youth Work Consultant Lydia Mangeni Stewart, who was interviewed for the Gxng Girls film, previously worked at a safe space for women and girls who have been through trauma in the form of South London's Skye Alexandra House.

The Croydon Guardian caught up with Lydia to discuss the issues raised in the film in greater depth.

How did you become involved with Skye Alexandra project?

Sherica Spence had a semi-independent house which got support from its charity status and Croydon Council, and also from private businesses who believed in what we were doing, and that's how we continued to the work even during Covid.

I came in with my skills in programme management and just generally supporting Sherica and the team with what she is currently doing and what we can do to build up a case for funding to become more sustainable.

During Covid we realised this is an even more vulnerable time for young girls because there are issues with work, with so many changes going on. We wanted to continue to provide those services.

What did that entail?

We provided care packages for the girls, and different programmes. I helped develop one that looks at their self-esteem about how they perceive themselves. Doing practical, one-to-one sessions to build certain skills so that employability-wise they can have more confidence to make better decisions.

We also worked with the media to describe how this is still an issue. When we're talking about 'County Lines' we're thinking about it from the boys perspective we don't necessarily think about the girls, about how Black girls are socialised and might not recognize their vulnerability. They grow up so quickly based on the responsibility they have and might not be seen as victims.

Were just really trying to work with the girls directly to make sure they are not being groomed, and that they're building up their resilience and a confidence to be able to decipher, to discern: 'OK, I don't need to be putting myself in this situation. There is this kind of choice that I can make. There are these services available'.

It's about giving them the tools to understand how they can find themselves in vulnerable situations and how unscrupulous men, especially in these times, want to offer them money for example but in the long term could lead onto something they would not be able to handle.

Your Local Guardian: Lydia appeared in the Gxng Girls documentary by Journalist and Filmmaker Abbianca Makoni Lydia appeared in the Gxng Girls documentary by Journalist and Filmmaker Abbianca Makoni

How big an issue is this in Croydon?

This is still a big issue, especially in Croydon. Croydon is a very complex borough. It has the largest number of young people of any borough in London. Croydon Council becoming (effectively) bankrupt is going to have a big effect on what is actually happening. The type of issues that are exacerbated because they have to pinch back the pennies and only offer essential services.

Grassroots organizations in the borough like Skye Alexandra do need to be amplified, recognized and supported because they have the expertise from a personal perspective as well as being able to do the work that is needed on a one to one basis, that ability to work intensively to actually change these young people's lives," the former youth worker said.

What is the situation regarding funding of services that address women and girls' involvement in gangs at the moment?

Sometimes when you are a grassroots organizations who are more concentrating on the work, you don't have bid writers like the bigger national charities who have so much money coming into them but don't necessarily have that ability to work intensively and one to one to actually change these young people's lives.

The funding landscape at the moment is dictating how we work with young people and it should be the other way around. People making these decisions are so far removed from the issues that they are deciding based on paperwork and theory and that is not good enough.

I think the wider approach as such is still very fragmented. That's why some of these issues are still very acute. There is a lack of understanding about who is doing what, and how can we empower them to continue that work. There's a lot to do. Partnering with bid writers for funding so that the Skye Alexandra's of the world can focus on delivery would be a better framework.

Is there a problem of representation higher up? Would the situation be improved if leaders better represented their communities?

Yes, very much so. There is a lack of diversity when you get to the top at the decision-making level, and there is a lack of acknowledgement about the changes that need to happen. This is a big issue. You can't change what you don't know and what you don't see.

It is not good enough to read it in a public report, and those reports don't really get read by most people. They mostly go uncovered. There needs to be a balance between people who are really good at delivery and people that have the knowhow and personal experience from neighbourhoods impacted by this.

Are issues surrounding grooming and gangs improving or deteriorating at the moment?

I think coronavirus could be the catalyst that is making it worse because with it comes so much uncertainty. Youth unemployment was already high. Even as adults we are trying to figure out what our next steps are so you can only imagine what young people are doing. If people didn't get it before, hopefully now they understand how serious this is.

What we need is to have an intentional process with clear goals.