Return to the Frontline
Over the last two weeks I've been delivering a music writing programme at Oakhill Secure Training Centre — the UK's only prison for children
This month I’ve been delivering the New Chapters programme for the National Literacy Trust at Oakhill Secure Training Centre — the only prison in the country which receives people as young as 12. We get the boys to write and record music in one room, and discuss and write about music in the other room. It’s a potent combination.
I’ve delivered youth work in a lot of challenging settings over the last decade, but the circumstances of this project so far have felt unique. All prisons have a mad energy, but a children’s prison is its own universe. The staff work commitedly, but there is little room for hope inside. To deliver workshops, I’m locked in a room without an alarm. Some chairs are nailed to the floor.
Nonetheless, I count the fact that I’ve helped to spark and hear some of the deepest conversations about the power of music I’ve ever heard as a blessing. The opportunity to do so whilst accompanied by such esteemed collaborators makes it even more special: Demetri Addison and Jhemar Jonas from Cut Short; rapper and writer Franklyn Addo; author and writer Aniefiok ‘Neef’ Ekpoudom; poet and broadcaster Lady Unchained; etc.
The boys at Oakhill can’t watch music videos on the internet. They can only listen to songs on CDs or those which are screened and uploaded to the internal system. So being able to widen the pool of music they can access by incorporating it into our workshops has been one of the most unexpectedly valuable things to offer.
Despite everything they’ve got going on, all of the guys who’ve taken part have welcomed us and given it their all. The journey continues next week.
Writing Cut Short during a pandemic pulled me away from being consistently on the frontlines of this work for a while. Zoom is cool but it’s not enough. Being fully back now, always armed with a copy of my book for any young person who wants it, feels purposeful. I’ve got a whole summer’s worth of programmes lined up, which I intend to share about eventually, but for now I just wanted to come here to mark the moment.
I owe the biggest thanks to Angus Jackson from the National Literacy Trust for backing this and holding it all together.
By Ciaran Thapar
Great work. Well done Ciaran.