Please find below a press release relating to the charity A Band of Brothers.
I'd be very happy to provide more information about the podcast or further photos/ audio clips if you would be interested in sharing.
Many thanks
Elfie & Leaf
PRESS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE 17thJuly 2020
Comedians learn how to reduce crime and make young men happier
The award-winning Brighton charity, A Band of Brothers (ABOB) has been speaking to comedians this week about their work reducing community crime.
Leaf and Elfie, hosts of podcast ‘Leaf&Elfie Curious Talks' interviewed Hugh Newton, Head of Education and Training at ABOB about the organisation's unorthodox approach to "re-fathering" young men that takes inspiration from ancient rites of passage ceremonies.
The organisation works with parole boards to support men aged 18+ to lead full, purposeful and crime-free lives and has a high success rate reducing reoffending in the community. Typically, 79% of men reoffend within two years of leaving prison; this decreased to 19% when men participated in the programme.
ABOB was established in Brighton, but now has a number of branches across the UK including Portsmouth, Oxford and Manchester. The support for young men is clearly needed; 95% of the UK prison population is male, 80% of homeless people are men and 13 men on average will commit suicide every day.
Hugh explained that ABOB helps to rebuild trust in relationships with other men:
"We're showing that men can be healthy and strong; kind and calm...men can turn to other men for healing"
Leaf highlights how the negative patterns in behaviour can be broken in a community setting:
"A Band of Brothers are tackling the crime statistics, in a deeper, more holistic way that conventional rehabilitation. Out in the woods, camping, reflecting and forming lifelong relationships with a new positive community really makes the difference. ABOB empowers individuals to gain self-love and break negative cycles of fear and anger"
Elfie said:
"Some of these young offenders seem scary, but listening to Hugh, it became clear that these men have had some traumatic experiences and are actually very scared themselves. It's incredible to hear how the charity has been able to support them form healthy relationships, making friends and working in their community rather than back in trouble. In my view, the role that the father plays in a child's upbringing can sometimes be undervalued. A negligent or absent father can cause a tremendous amount of pain that needs to be discussed. Men are encouraged to ‘bottle up' their feelings which is neither good for them as children or as they become dads themselves. The good news is that excellent male role models exist all around us - what that charity appears to do is connect those people very effectively. A Band of Brothers helps these young men to express their true selves and guide them to have a confident and positive contribution to society."
The podcast interview with the duo is available from Thursday 16thJuly to download on iTunes, Spotify and via Leaf and Elfie's website.
ENDS
Photos attached:
Photo 1: A Band of Brothers group photo
Photo 2: Leaf and Elfie
More information about A Band of Brothers
For more information about the charity visit www.abandofbrothers.org.uk
Follow on Twitter @band_brothersuk
Like on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABOBcommunity
About the podcast
Leaf & Elfie: Curious Talks
"Curious. Novel. Expert"
Leaf and Elfie meet unique experts from around the world. Guests include: military interrogator, tech researcher and champion vegan bodybuilder. Launched May 2020, exploring psychology, self-improvement, social change and futuristic tech.
The podcast:https://leafandelfie.buzzsprout.com
Instagram: @leafandelfie
Contact
We are happy to provide exclusive interviews about our work on the podcast and answer questions. Feel free to get in touch by email or phone.
Email: leafandelfiepodcast@gmail.com
Phone: Elfie on 07588692955