Neville Watson, from Godwin Lawson Foundation, with students Shannon Berry and Jason Guerra who were among the students sharing their views on knife crime.
Students from the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) have given their support to a new plan to reduce knife crime in Haringey.
Around 20 learners were invited to share their views as part of a wider consultation for a Knife Crime Action Plan commissioned by Haringey Council.
During the discussion students were asked about how they dealt with arguments, if they knew anyone who carried a knives, the risks of carrying knives and what could be done to discourage young people from doing so.
Student Krisztian Meresz, 20, said: “I feel it’s important that young people have a say on knife crime as we are the ones most affected by it. If it helps to save just one person’s life then it has to be a good thing.”
Another student, Gjinovefa Beqiraj, 17, added: “It’s been good to have the chance to get our views across as often no one takes much notice of us and often our voice gets lost.”
The study is being undertaken for Haringey Council by Godwin Lawson Foundation, which supports young people in Tottenham and Enfield to achieve their potential.
The charity was set up by Yvonne Lawson, the mother of a 17-year-old Godwin Lawson who grew up in Tottenham and was killed in a knife attack in 2010.
She said: “As someone who lost their son to knife crime and the importance of research and intervention. Up to now many of the strategies on knife crime were done by the men in suits. Getting young people involved makes it more meaningful.”
Figures show 2017 was the worst year for knife deaths among young people in England and Wales since 2002, with 46 people under the aged of 25 killed in London - 21 more than the previous year.
As of February this year, the number of people fatally wounded in London in 2018 had reached 15.
According to the Ben Kinsella Trust, a charity set up by the family of the Islington teenager Ben Kinsella who was stabbed to death in June 2008, 15% of young people know a friend who has carried a knife.
In October students from CONEL heard from an ex-offender who spoke candidly about the consequences of carrying a knife after he was jailed for life for stabbing a man to death.
Neville Watson, from Godwin Lawson Foundation, said: “The students were very much engaged and had some great ideas in terms of finding solutions to knife crime, and some were keen to know more about how they can help with prevention.”