In one weekend of workshops they created their campaign, ‘it doesn’t have to happen’.A campaign for young people, by young people, that uses peer to peer influence to encourage young people to reject their knives.Together we built itdoesnthavetohappen.co.uk and hosted it on the largest youth network, Bebo. We asked friends to become involved in the campaign and posted out their creative content. By creating a youth brand, we were able to enter young people’s spaces and be involved in their conversations.Together we developed virals and digital banners, showing the harsh consequences of carrying a knife.We supported online with radio ads with experiences of real victims that were emotive and hard hitting as well as outdoor, with their personal pledges.We mobilised this anti-knife community offline by working with youth channels that ran events, encouraging creative talents.Our communications were collaborative, making the message poignant and credible.

The campaign didn’t only make the news, it was the news.We achieved 12 million viral views and gained 10,000 friends on the Bebo profile.73% of young people claimed that the campaign would make them less likely to carry a knife in the future.

Based on the success of the campaign, itdoesnthavetohappen continues.