‘Children can’t relax’
Annette Belcher Digital Publishing Editor
13:15, 20 May 2025
Empty Shirts, Lost Childhoods Exhibition, The Lord Mayors Chapel, Bristol
Bristol teenagers have taken part in a moving exhibition in the city showcasing the devastating consequences of knife crime.
The ‘Empty shirts, Lost Childhoods’ exhibition has seen more than 150 teens from across Bristol use a white school shirt as a canvas to show their thoughts and emotions on knife crime and the serious violence that has plagued the city in recent years.
Amongst the compelling messages shared on the shirts were, ‘Protect one another’, ‘Be brave choose safety’, ‘Stop the cycle’, ‘Love is freedom’, ‘Stay humble, stay safe, ‘Bullying isn’t always physical’, and ‘I see humans, but no humanity’.
Many designs featured poems, lyrics, and memorials for lives lost through the violence of knife crime.
The creations formed part of a project, led by researchers at the University of Bristol in partnership with local youth organisations and schools, as part of national Knife Crime Awareness Week.
Project participants Luchia Avery and Eva Morne-Edwards gave readings at the exhibition opening event, held in the Lord Mayor’s Chapel in Bristol on Monday (May 19).
Luchia Avery and Eva Morne-Edwards, aged 13, giving readings about knife crimes at the opening of the ‘Empty shirts, Lost Childhoods’ exhibition in Bristol(Image: Bhagesh Sachania Photography)
Luchia, aged 13, said: “I’m really glad I did it so it makes the community more aware. Children cannot relax because kids my age or younger are carrying knives. Change needs to happen.”
Bristol Youth Council member Ellen Sheehy, aged 16, decorated her shirt with scores of pink and purple rhinestones representing knife crime incidents.
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She said: “I think it’s a really powerful way of saying goodbye to school and a way of expressing how you feel about youth violence.”
Barnardo’s, Empire Fighting Chance, City of Bristol College and YouthMoves were among the organisations involved with the project.
Project lead Dr Jade Levell, Senior Lecturer in Social and Public Policy at the University of Bristol, said: “The response has been overwhelmingly powerful and positive. At this time of year many young people will be writing on school shirts as they graduate from formal education.
“Children involved in youth violence often miss out on this important milestone and this exhibition shines a light on an issue which affects all young people in many different ways.
“Their creations so brilliantly show how the problem goes beyond knives and when you let them lead the conversation, there is so much for us to learn about how they feel and what they want to change.”
Ellen Sheehy, aged 16, holds her rhinestone decorated school shirt, which formed part of the ‘Empty shirts, Lost Childhoods’ exhibition in the Lord Mayor’s Chapel(Image: University of Bristol)
Knife Crime Awareness Week, which runs from May 19 to Sunday, May 25, is an annual campaign by The Ben Kinsella Trust to highlight the complexity of the problem, its devastating impact, and prevention work.
Clare Moody, Avon & Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “This exhibition powerfully highlights that too many of our children miss out on having a childhood, miss out on feeling safe.
“The University took an interdisciplinary approach and we, as partners, must do the same. Above all, we won’t achieve change if we don’t listen to our children. These shirts show us how powerful their voices are, when we listen with the purpose of taking action.”
Jon Yates, Chief Executive of the national Youth Endowment Fund, said: “Half of our teenage children say that they have changed their behaviour in some way because they are worried about violence. It’s on us as the adults to listen hard, find out what works to change children’s lives and make it happen. This exhibition is a brilliant way to start listening.”
Together For Change Aims
Set up a task force – We will develop a community-driven task force to meet and discuss the issue, how best to tackle it and how we can make a real difference with those in power.
Getting knives off the street – We will work with the campaigners to raise awareness of initiatives designed to get knives off the streets.
Social media – We will look at the Online Safety Bill and see if it goes far enough where it comes to harmful knife-related content on social media and how easy it is for children to see.
Raise awareness – We will work together to raise the awareness of how knife crime is linked to poverty, education, employment, social exclusion and the collapse in youth services
Lobby the government -We will cover the issue in the context of the General Election, using our findings from the taskforce and our reporting to lobby for change
Hold power to account – We will scrutinise and hold Avon and Somerset Police and Bristol City Council to account on their plans and models to make Bristol safer