Knife crime: Bristol gym provides mental health support

Dayton Powell wants to encourage young people involved in gang culture to think of their future

A man who was stabbed in the stomach as a teenager is rallying to "keep kids off the streets".

Dayton Powell, 42, delivers programmes at Empire Fighting Chance boxing gym in Bristol to help teenagers overcome anxieties associated with knife crime.

He believes young people are carrying weapons due to "annihilation anxiety" and the fear of imminent threat.

"The only way they know how to protect themselves is to fight fire with fire," he said.

Annihilation anxiety is triggered by a survival threat where individuals feels helpless when faced with potential danger, which can often lead to self-destructive behaviours.

The club's Box Therapy programme - which combines boxing with mental health services - supports young people following the recent spate of knife crime attacks in Bristol.

The group is specifically targeting those "under the periphery of gang involvement".

Mr Powell says the gym keeps young people out of trouble and provides a space them to find support

"I'm a lived experience practitioner because I've been a victim of knife crime myself," said Mr Powell.

"I was stabbed in the stomach when I was 16 years old and have got a 12-inch scar from that now."

Mr Powell says he wants to give back to the community by showing young people the reality of gang culture, and how easily carrying a weapon can ruin lives.

"There's a lot of mythology surrounding what you get from being on the streets, and I'm just trying to combat that and demystify the culture around it," he said.

Dayton Powell from Empire Fighting Chance gym says young people are "scared" and need guidance

"All I'm seeing is a bunch of scared children that don't know what's going on.

"They feel like they could be the next victim and the only way they know how to protect themselves is to fight fire with fire, and that may mean picking up a knife themselves."

He added that potential factors contributing to these anxieties are "untreated inter-generational trauma" coupled with disadvantaged socio-economic circumstances.

"Empire has managed to provide a safe space for these kids to come and air out their grievances, and with each day you can see them grow more confident," Mr Powell continued.

"They're starting to see a way out, and that's what our aim is here, to show them they do have a future away from all of this."

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