About

Operation Forgiveness Equips young people with the power of forgiveness.

It starts with the story of a boy called Zac, who at 15 had his whole life in front of him.

But in 2010, the day after Zac had given a speech at a conference about youth violence, he was stabbed to death outside his school by a group of boys he didn’t know.

Zac is one of many young people in London whose lives are violently cut short every year. In recent years, the capital has seen some of its highest ever rates of teenage murders.

Stories like Zac’s make the headlines but often tell little of the devastating ripple effects felt by family, friends and the wider community.

In the midst of the grief and pain after Zac’s death, his mother Sarah and sister Tayo were confronted with a question...

Through Operation Forgiveness, Sarah and Tayo describe the devastating impact of Zac’s death, but also how they each came to forgive the boys who murdered him.

They describe the impact of their Christian faith in their two very different journeys to forgiveness – and that although forgiveness can be difficult, it is ultimately liberating.

By hearing their powerful stories, children are encouraged to explore what it means to forgive and how forgiveness can resolve anger towards others before it spirals out of control.

The approach

Operation Forgiveness is an interactive one-day session, delivered by local churches to local schools.

Reflect

Children are given time to reflect on what they’ve heard and invited to privately write down their responses.

Discuss

Children share perspectives on the value of life in discussion with Operation Forgiveness volunteers.

Forgive

They’re given the opportunity to forgive someone who has hurt them.

Create

In group discussions children are encouraged to think about the dangers of carrying a knife – and of creative ideas for tackling knife crime.

Trained Operation Forgiveness volunteers create a safe, trauma-aware environment, alongside teaching staff, for children to positively engage with the topic of knife crime.