The Open University produces an award-winning film that challenges perceptions of youth violence

Posted on 5 February 2025 • Childhood, University news

The Open University has developed an award-winning film and a thought-provoking interactive quiz that challenges perceptions about knife crime and youth violence.

Available on OpenLearn, which is the OU’s free learning platform, ‘Exploring Youth Violence: What would you do?’ aims to provide a better understanding of the complex lives and situations of young people who find themselves involved in youth violence and crime.

Both the film and the interactive are based on research by Dr Anthony Gunter, Senior Lecturer in Childhood and Youth Studies.

He said:

“This interactive provides an up close and personal opportunity to learn about,  and reflect on, the complex reasons why a young person might become a victim or perpetrator of knife violence.  A better understanding that many of these young men are ‘more vulnerable’ than ‘violent’ can only lead to better solutions.”

What would you do? which won best short film at the 2024 Birmingham TV and Film Festival as well as being shortlisted and selected at a number of other film festivals,  depicts the lives of two urban teenagers who navigate their everyday lives, dealing with situations where they encounter judgment, bias, and marginalisation. It demonstrates that the path to serious youth violence (as perpetrator or victim) is multi-faceted and not as straightforward as is often portrayed.

The interactive quiz offers people the chance to challenge their own perspectives. Using scenarios from the film, it enables people to think about how they would react in the same situation and offers insight into why the teenagers in the film behave the way they do.

It is hoped that watching the film and taking the quiz will foster greater empathy and a better understanding of the difficulties that these young people face that in many cases are beyond their control.