Gemma Middleton deplores the waste of life and talent amongst London's increasingly violent young gangs. Charities can provide a lifeline for disaffected youth by helping to develop their skills, she says, but they need support from both society and business in order to succeed.

Since the beginning of 2007, the changing face of Britain has never been more evident or as widely publicised. 'It wasn't like this in my day' is a phrase that every child within the UK has grown up with and often, when stated by a preaching grandparent or parent, the chances are a sigh would need to be suppressed as well as a quick roll of the eye balls when no one was looking.

"Investing in development skills, such as interview skills and presentation skills would certainly help make these youngsters more employable and more attractive to employers."

However, it seems this phrase is one that should not only be listened to, but also learnt from. So far this year, more than 20 young people have been killed in knife attacks in London alone and, apart from a few cases, the majority are from underprivileged backgrounds where the mentality of the young is to get rich, quick. Often these individuals have slipped through the net, with little guidance from school, their parents and society in general, which has led to many turning to gangs for support and guidance. The most worrying factor is that new recruits are getting younger, with some as young as 11 openly carrying a knife, and this trend seems to be getting worse.

The reasons behind the increase in gang related crimes and violent attitudes are largely attributed to today's materialistic approach to life and the status that is given for owning top of the range products and brands. Unlimited want is not a new problem, in fact it is the age-old economic problem: unlimited want with limited resources. And one of the main driving factors behind gang activities appears to be money – the more the better.

So, with little or few qualifications, increasing feelings of isolation from society and very limited means of making a good wage, teenagers are pulled into gangs.

The solutions to this growing problem have been debated in the public arena for months, with key political groups making their stance clear concerning the cure. Yet many charities are calling for preventative measures, such as investing in development skills instead of solely dealing with the clean up.

Investing in development skills, such as interview skills and presentation skills would certainly help make these youngsters more employable and more attractive to employers. Showing belief in their potential would also hopefully give these youngsters the drive and ambition to achieve their fortune in the 'right' way.

Currently the main form of development targeted at these young people is delivered through charities. As always, these charities are highly dependant on donations and partnerships with external organisations, which mean the resources available are never enough. It is here that society in general, and UK businesses in particular, could close the gap.

With the employment market being at an all-time high, competition is fierce as the talent pool is massively depleted, so creating links with inner city charities to get young people into work could be the perfect opportunity to use talent that could otherwise have been wasted. This would also help address the academic skills gap for young individuals as raised in the Leitch report and generally improve the quality of the UK labour market.

When problems arise like gang crime, failings in the health care provision or employment issues, the cure to these problems is often talked about in the context of society as a whole. Yet in reality, small segments of society 'fix' the problems that affect us all.

In relation to gangs, knife and gun crime, it will take the whole of society to show young people not only that it won't be tolerated, but that there is another way.

Read Gemma's last comment here

Gemma Middleton is a communications specialist
At Righttrack Consultancy. For more information about Righttrack go to: www.righttrackconsultancy.co.uk