Slough’s Young People Lead Campaign Against Exploitation
“It was great to be a part of something young people created to help other young people. It made me feel proud to be able to spread awareness about such an important topic.” Isla, 17
On National Child Exploitation Awareness Day, we celebrate the invaluable contribution of young people from Slough to a nationwide campaign tackling county lines exploitation. This initiative, spearheaded by UK Youth and Stop the Traffik and funded by Burger King, aims to raise awareness of child criminal exploitation in key hotspot areas. Working in collaboration with Together As One in Slough and United Youth Alliance in Blackpool, groups of young people played a pivotal role in developing the campaign materials that have since been widely disseminated.
The campaign provided young people with a dedicated online platform where they could access further information. Since its launch, the campaign has achieved remarkable reach and impact:
- 383,688 young people across England have been engaged in raising awareness about county lines.
- 54.5% of respondents reported that the campaign made them realise they, or someone they know, might be at risk of exploitation.
- 3,131 individuals watched at least half of the campaign video.
- 5.02% of those who viewed the advert clicked on the ‘learn more’ button to explore further resources.
What is County Lines?
County Lines refers to the practice of organised criminal networks and gangs transporting illegal drugs across different regions, often exploiting children and vulnerable individuals in the process. Those targeted are frequently subjected to coercion, intimidation, and violence, sometimes involving weapons. The illicit activity typically spans police and local authority boundaries, though not exclusively.
Recruitment can take place in person or online. Young people are often approached in locations such as fast-food restaurants, shopping centres, parks, outside their homes, or on their way to school. Increasingly, social media platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and online gaming forums serve as digital spaces where young people are groomed and exploited.
Designing the Campaign
Over two days, young people in Slough took part in a structured creative process to develop their campaign materials. They began by exploring the idea of vulnerability, reflecting on their own experiences to understand how and why young people can be at risk of exploitation. Building on this, they identified key groups they wanted to reach, considering factors such as age, gender, and background.
Young people’s views on vulnerability
To ensure their campaign met the needs of these audiences, they outlined the specific challenges young people face in relation to county lines, grooming, and exploitation. From there, they discussed the most important messages to share, focusing on raising awareness and highlighting the risks of criminal exploitation.
With these foundations in place, they moved on to designing the campaign itself. Drawing inspiration from social media trends, they developed creative ideas that would appeal to their peers. They then produced digital materials, including videos and social media content, to maximise engagement. After testing their work within their peer groups, they refined the content based on feedback.
Finally, they contributed to the development of a website to serve as an online hub, offering information and resources for those seeking help or advice. The campaign website can be found here: County Lines Campaign 2024 | STOP THE TRAFFIK
The young people’s prototypes
One of the most striking aspects of the campaign was the young people’s innovative approach to content creation. They leveraged an emerging internet trend—one that initially baffled older professionals but has proven highly effective. Their method involved overlaying a voiceover narrative onto video game footage or similarly engaging visual content. Research suggests that retention rates for stories accompanied by unrelated but visually stimulating material are significantly higher. The young people demonstrated exceptional creativity, and their final campaign assets really closely resembled their original prototypes.
We are immensely proud of the young people involved in this project. Their ability to shape a campaign that has reached hundreds of thousands of their peers is a testament to their insight and determination. One of the most impressive elements of their work was their nuanced understanding of vulnerability. In a brainstorming session, they identified 41 distinct factors contributing to vulnerability, demonstrating a depth of awareness that can only come from lived experience. Their contribution has been invaluable in ensuring that this campaign speaks directly to those who need it most.
Together As One
Together As One was established over 25 years ago in Slough due to gang tensions. Ever since then, participation has been at the heart of what we do, making TAO a natural choice for UK Youth and Stop the Traffik when they were searching for locally embedded organisations to really capture the views of young people. We began with a quote from a young person on the project – we will finish with one too. Here’s Mohammed (16):
I knew deep inside that this was all for a great cause and that it deserved my full efforts and responsibility. The people I met, the work – we all had a share in – and the experiences we gathered, was truly amazing. I pray that what we have done can resonate and bring about a positive impact on even more young people in the country who may be exposed to county lines: that this may be their ticket to escaping from their silent suffering. I’m extremely grateful for the sheer amount of people we’ve reached and for the opportunity I’ve been given.
