From London to Melbourne: What Community-Led Violence Reduction Really Looks Like
Andrea Davidson’s visit to London highlights why violence reduction must start with communities, not systems. Build the communities and the systems will follow! Here’s what her learning from MyEnds means for the future of youth safety - in the UK and beyond.
Last week, Ecosystem Coldharbour and our partners had the privilege of welcoming Lib Peck Director of London's Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and Andrea Davidson Interim CEO of Victoria's VRU in Melbourne, who came over to London to learn from our work as she begins the journey of establishing a VRU in Australia.
Andrea’s visit was not about policy papers or presentations. It was about seeing what happens when communities are trusted, resourced and empowered to lead solutions to complex social challenges. It was about learning from lived experience, frontline practitioners and neighbourhood partnerships that are changing outcomes for young people - not in theory, but in practice.
At Ecosystem Coldharbour, through the #MyEnds project we see daily how a place-based, community-led approach can transform lives. MyEnds brings together youth agencies, statutory partners, community leaders and residents to provide whole, wraparound support for young people and families on a hyper local scale. It is not a service pathway. We're an ecosystem where people know each other, trust is built over time, and we're working hard to ensure young people are supported before crisis becomes consequence.
Andrea described the experience as powerful. Seeing agencies work side-by-side, guided by the voices of those with lived experience, showed what is possible when systems stop working in silos and start working with communities, not to them. She spoke of the passion, collaboration and shared accountability she witnessed... and the difference it makes when support is rooted in relationships, not referral forms.
This work sits at the heart of the London VRU’s approach: addressing violence not just as a criminal justice issue, but as a public health challenge, shaped by trauma, inequality, exclusion and lack of opportunity. The 11 MyEnds projects demonstrate what happens when prevention, intervention and long-term support are connected, rather than treated as separate stages. This month the VRU released figures that show:
Since the VRU was established in 2019, youth homicides in London have fallen to around a third of previous levels.
The number of under-25s killed in London is now at its lowest point this century.
Teenage homicides are at their joint lowest level in over 30 years.
Yes we celebrate such fantastic joint achievements, but we also know there is still so much more to do. What Andrea is taking back to Australia is not a blueprint, but shared principles:
That violence reduction starts with community power.
Young people need networks, not just services,
Lasting change is built through trust, collaboration and long-term investment.
As she begins the work of building a VRU in Victoria, her journey is a reminder that while contexts may differ, the challenges facing young people are shared globally, but so are the solutions when communities are placed at the centre.
We are proud that the work happening in Lambeth and throughout London is now informing international learning. We remain committed to showing that when communities lead, systems can follow.
This is what violence reduction looks like when it is done with people, not to them.
