Knife crime interventions in the UK largely focus on deterrence and removal, overlooking why many young people carry knives in the first place. For many, a knife represents safety, status and belonging – and it leads to violence through the culture around it. Removing it, without replacing what it symbolises, fails to address the underlying motivations – leaving them untouched and the cycle unchanged.
VANTA understands it’s audience and reframes the knife from a symbol of danger into discipline, craft and control. Built around the theory of identity reframing, we offer workshops where young people learn to craft and understand blades within a disciplined, mentor-led environment.
Through skill, responsibility and community, VANTA provides the same status, pride and belonging the knife promises. Instead, earned through purpose rather than violence, connecting participants to real pathways with opportunities with a reframed identity, stemmed from redefined knives.
Member Transition – see one of Vanta’s members, Niko, transition from pre-vanta to post-vanta
Vanta Status – Each member is presented with a ring on completion of craft, with levels from blade maker to mentor
Uni students are facing a mental health crisis driven by cognitive overload, financial pressure, time scarcity and poor daily habits. Support systems are overstretched, digital systems feel cold and transactional, and wellbeing is rarely prioritised before it collapses. Mental health is treated as an emergency rather than a daily practice and exisiting solutions feel disconnected from student culture – reinforcing stigma instead of reducing it.
Ape House reframes mental wellbeing as a lifestyle not a last resort. Built as a culture-driven food brand for students, we use proven brain-healthy meals as an accessible entry point to better mental wellbeing, social connection and routine. By meeting students where they are through bold, physical and digital touch points, Ape House makes caring for your mind feel normal, social and desirable – the gym for your brain.
