History

CalibreMinds started as a one-off project in 2003 when our Founder / Director, Dean Alfred, brought together a number of his peers to organise an away weekend to bring together young people from different areas of London to discuss issues around knife and gun crime.

Dean was moved to do so as a result of his friend being killed as part of a tit for tat gang-related conflict. The weekender acted as one of the first steps to address the situation and to stop the cycle of violence. Initially the plan was to take around 50 young people but in the end over 300 young people attended the away weekend which featured a trip to Alton Towers followed by a series of seminars held at a hotel in Derby.  Attending the trip were some of the young people who it was believed were involved in gang conflict.

After the initial project, CalibreMinds grew and developed as an organisation, drawing on experiences and obstacles faced by young people growing up in deprived areas in and around the inner city of London.