A charity is hoping an evening of high-energy DJ beats and dancing in Dalston will raise money in the fight against knife crime.
DJs Against Violence, by UK Trance Society and fundraising non-profit eCubed, will see seven volunteer DJs play progressive trance and house music at Sui Generis from 4-10pm to support Lives Not Knives (LNK).
The Croydon-based charity works to prevent serious youth violence such as the death of Kelyan Bokassa, 14, who was stabbed to death on a London bus earlier this month.
Founder of eCubed Judy Kawaguchi, 47, said: “Youth violence is such a negative, horrifying topic.
“So when we have fundraising events, we actually don’t want it to always be just doom and gloom.
“Music has such a powerful effect on people, and it helps people be open – it’s celebratory.
“Our fundraising is about having fun and enjoying each other’s company, and music creates that openness for people to come together across communities.”
DJs Against Violence organiser Aimee Charalambous, 34, added: “Despite what some people think about raves and that kind of community, it is a very happy space.
“It’s a very communal space where people come and deal with a lot of challenges, and then go away feeling a little bit of a buzz.
“I thought it would be a great way to mix that kind of vibe and community with charity fundraising.”
After moving to East London from the US in 2009, Kawaguchi wanted to support anti-female violence charity Solace by pushing back against traditional fundraising.
She said: “All the other fundraising events I looked at across the board in the UK were really expensive – big charitable dinners where you had to pay £100 to get in, or buy a table.
“I felt like it was something that needs to be accessible to everybody, because sexual violence, domestic violence, violence in general cuts across all demographics and boundaries.”
Kawaguchi went on to create eCubed’s flagship event Rock Against Violence, which has been raising money for Solace since 2011.
eCubed’s music events have since expanded to include Jazz Against Violence and now DJs Against Violence, which will be the organisation’s first fundraiser for a charity other than Solace.
Charalambous said: “I had been looking around thinking, where else can we deliver some real impact?
“I came across Lives Not Knives at another fundraiser and it really struck me because knife crime has been all over the news for far too long.
“But it’s not just this huge issue that needs solving – it’s bigger than that.
“The people behind the knives, and the reason they pick up the knife and how to get them to put it down, are just as important.”
The money DJs Against Violence raises from ticket sales and games throughout the evening will go towards funding LNK initiatives that support children with negative home environments.
These initiatives include an after-school club, and a free summer programme for Croydon children which offers six weeks of free meals, mentoring, and leisure activities.
The charity also visits schools across South West London to teach children about the dangers of knife and gang culture.
A survey of LNK’s work revealed that 78% of secondary school children said they were less likely to carry a knife after one of these educational sessions.
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