Anti-social behaviour: Young people kept off the street by music
2025-02-04
Category: entertainment

A reformed youth offender is using music to discourage other young people from committing crimes like graffiti and criminal damage.JT, from Southampton, said he found himself in trouble with the police multiple times when he was in his teens, but decided to turn his life around and help others.Now a music mentor and life coach, the 34-year-old works with young people in the city to intercept and reduce patterns of anti-social behaviour.He hopes the free service, which sees teenagers develop their songwriting and production skills, will help set them "on the right path".
JT said he had a few run-ins with the law after "minor violent crimes" when he was younger."When you hang around with other young men who maybe are a bit lost or not on the correct path, inevitably anti-social behaviour does come out," he said.But in his mid-20s, he decided to change the course of his life.He now works with charities like the SoCo Music Project, and rents out spaces to run groups and one-to-one sessions with young people."Music for me is my creative outlet that has saved me countless times from maybe making the wrong decision," he added.
A 14-year-old attending one of JT's groups, who we are not naming, said he had previously been in trouble with the police."I kicked someone's door through," he said, adding: "I was thinking my mates had done it, I might as well do it."He said he had been told it had been put on his criminal record but would be removed when he turned 18."When I actually got caught, my mum made me go to Morrisons and buy [the owners] flowers… I went there and said sorry to the husband and wife."A 15-year-old, who we are also not naming, said there were not a lot of free activities for people his age to do.He felt the music classes, where he was able to develop his rap skills, had given him something productive to focus on."I don't want to be perceived as a bad kid… JT opened the music world for me," he added.
National funding for the youth sector has been cut by more than £1.2bn over the last 15 years, according to charity Youth UK.The government said youth centres played "a vital role in enabling young people to take part in a range of activities and to get the support they need". "We have allocated more than £85 million this year to create welcoming spaces for young people – including at least £26 million through the Better Youth Spaces programme for youth clubs to buy new equipment and undertake essential renovations," it added.JT said he had seen a number of youth hubs shut across Southampton - and had noticed a rise in anti-social behaviour."I remember when I was younger and there was a youth club in SO19 and there was one in SO14... there were youth clubs everywhere," he said.He said music kept young people off the street, as following the process of creating a song from start-to-finish gave them something to do."We're just trying to set them on the right path and give them as much nurturing and care and guidance as we can."
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