Meet the “Steel Warriors” who turn knifing knives into free gyms for London’s youth
London – A charity has been working hard to turn thousands of knives taken from London’s streets into a new type of weapon to combat the problem of youth violence facing many British cities.
In East London’s Langdon Park, more than a dozen young people gathered recently for fitness training using equipment made from confiscated weapons.
“The thought of doing something that I don’t think 1% of people can do,” Bruce Sanh, 16, told CBS News when asked what motivates him to push his body through calisthenics on recycled articles.
The idea is that society builds something much bigger than muscles. The bars that children ride on in Langdon Park are now made of knives taken from the streets of London by the police.
“It’s a perfect metaphor for making a positive change from a negative thing,” coach Demi Alvanis told CBS News.
Volodymyr Hirnyak, 15, said the park has become a free place to exercise.
“Now, I have friends. I have everything now. I am strong, I feel confident,” he said. “My life is better.”
More than 10 tons of weapons have been melted down and turned into outdoor gyms so far under the “Steel Warriors” anti-knife crime program, which uses the slogan “Put Down, Rest, Show,” to encourage young people to ditch their weapons and build physical and mental strength instead.
“You see the impact right in front of you, right now, when one of the kids unlocks a new skill,” Alvanis, who has been coaching youth for three years, told CBS News. “You can see the joy on their faces. You can see their faces light up with hope.”
Children say that hope is true.
Rafi Abdur, 16, who also attends the free weekly lessons, told CBS News that it has changed his life.
“Some people can’t afford a gym membership,” he said. But the program allows them to “come with their friends and love, exercise together in the parks,” which he said improves their overall well-being.
Hirnyak said it is a good place for young people
“I think that, because the youth have a lot of power, they get it [it] be a bad cause. It gives a good atmosphere, cause, you know, like it used to be bad, like knives, steel – it used to be bad, now it’s become something really good,” he said.
Alvanis told CBS News that there is a deep power in pushing yourself.
“I believe that calisthenics should be taught in schools,” he said. “We’re trying to create the best opportunity we can and bring them into our community, especially in those high-risk areas. I think there should be more of these outdoor gyms. When you train in these parks, you don’t just feel the love of the sport you’re doing, but the love of the cause.”
As for the future, Hirnyak knows what he wants.
“I want to be healthy,” she said. “I want to be strong, so I can inspire others to do the same.”
The Steel Warriors charity hopes to expand its work, building free gyms across the UK and, one day, perhaps in the United States.
