The music therapy group saving young offenders from crime

A Newcastle-based music programme can continue its vital work helping to steer young people who are, or could become, involved in criminal behaviour, thanks to a £10,000 National Lottery cash injection.

This vital funding has been awarded by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

Together with local musicians Kema Kay and Kay Grayson, Northern Roots works with young people from diverse backgrounds who are in the criminal justice system or are considered to be at risk of offending. It launched the programme in June 2020, in a response to the negative impact of COVID-19 on young people’s mental health, which left many feeling lonely and isolated*.

The initiative aims to empower participants, helping them to build self-confidence and skills – and ultimately boost their employment prospects - through writing, producing, and performing their own music. It provides them with a hands-on experience in recording studios and the opportunity to create music videos, along with mentoring and guidance from both Kay and Grayson.

Neeko, 17, who was referred to Northern Roots by local police, has been able to turn his life around thanks to the group. Kema Kay has been mentoring Neeko for over a year, and in this time he has stopped offending and has trained to become a barber, spending his free time making music in the recording studio instead of engaging in anti-social behaviour.

Kema Kay, who featured in the BAFTA award-winning film I, Daniel Blake, felt compelled to collaborate with the charity on the programme, offering his own lived experienced. In his younger years, the musician was involved in the criminal justice system and benefitted from the support of a local youth group in the West-End of Newcastle.

Kema said: “I know what it’s like to want to belong. Many of these young people don’t have a positive influence in their life; they’re surrounded by negativity.

“They feel like they can identify with me and vice versa; they can see it’s possible to turn your life around. I know where to start to build that up and I know how to nurture that.”

Leila D’Aronville, Managing Director at Northern Roots, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players for helping to fund our work with diverse communities in Tyne and Wear. Due to their support we are able to engage with young people, empowering them to become the rappers, singers, dancers and painters of tomorrow.”

Duncan Nicholson, Head of Funding for the North East and Cumbria Region at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “This vital funding to Northern Roots will have a huge impact on young people’s live in Newcastle and Gateshead, helping them to engage in positive activities that empower them to reach their potential and achieve their ambitions.

“This last year has been incredibly challenging for communities and we applaud the volunteers and groups that have been a lifeline to so many. As we all look to the future, we’re excited to see how local groups will use this funding to further support their communities to prosper and thrive.”

In the last three years, £861m has been invested in projects for children and young people – making The National Lottery Community Fund the biggest non-statutory funder of young people in the UK.

Today it was announced that 52 charities and community groups across Newcastle and Gateshead have been awarded nearly £1 million of National Lottery funding in the past quarter**, with £63 million distributed to over 1,920 groups across England in the past three months*.

Thanks to National Lottery players, this will fund things that matter to communities, such as economic prosperity, employment, young people, mental health, loneliness and helping the UK reach NET Zero by 2050.

National lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes across the UK, helping people and communities to build back from the pandemic to prosper and thrive. During the pandemic, in 2020 alone, The National Lottery Community Fund distributed almost £1 billion to charities and community organisations across the UK.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk