Leicester Prevent hosts “Reaching for Hope” webinar

Sean Arbuthnot Latest News 30/11/2020

On 24th November 2020 Leicester Prevent hosted a highly successful and thought-provoking webinar entitled “Reaching for Hope.” The keynote speaker was Sue Klebold, the mother of one of the two attackers responsible for the Columbine school mass shooting in Colorado in 1999.

In what was her first UK speaking engagement, Sue recounted her experiences of coming to terms with both her grief and the humiliation of her son’s involvement in the tragedy. She is now a passionate advocate, dedicated to the advancement of mental health awareness and intervention.

In the UK a considerable number of Prevent referrals relate to individuals with a mixed, unclear or unstable ideology. These vulnerable individuals are often obsessed with mass violence and in some cases, they plan violent attacks at schools or colleges. The tragedy at Columbine is often a significant influence on such individuals.

This talk was particularly relevant for our audience of professionals from education, health, local government and law enforcement. Incredibly, around 700 people viewed the webinar live via Zoom and a further 1,000 have viewed the recording that was made available to people who had registered for the event.

This moving and powerful event highlighted that issues like mass violence, extremism and radicalisation can affect people from any background and families can often be the first to spot potential warning signs. For further information and support, please contact prevent@stphilipscentre.co.uk