Nacro annual review

As well as helping young people with training andjobs, Nacro aims to show them how to set themselvesrealistic goals and learn from their experiences. ‘It’sunlocking their sense of their own potential,’ saysSam. Andy’s first aid class is testament to the successof this approach. ‘When he first came here, he wasvery withdrawn,’ she recalls. ‘He said he wanted to bea mechanic but it didn’t work out for him. Then wefound out that he had this interest in first aid andthought, “That’s where we need to be looking.” He rana session this morning, he knew his stuff, and he keptthe others interested. To see his smile afterwards –that made my day.’Come nightfall, the music project is warming up. Inher youth, Nacro co-ordinator Carina Greenawaywas into ragga; now she provides an outlet for anew generation who are into R&B, hip hop, garage,and grime. ‘We got some money to get it up andrunning, and I let a few young people know. I wasexpecting 10 to 15 people; we got 50 or 60.’ Theproject started with a karaoke machine, but nowboasts speakers, amps, decks, and a decibel level tomatch. But not every session is loud. ‘A while back Isaid to them: “I want you to get your lyrics down,”’says Carina. ‘I had 57 young people as quiet asanything, just writing. These guys wouldn’t write ifthey were sitting in a classroom; it’s the music thatmotivates them. That’s why we’ve called the projectmc 2 = e. That’s mic-chatting squared equalseducation and employment. That’s our thing.’Vocalist Carlene, aka Goldz, says that people havepreconceived notions about young people and theirmusic: ‘Everyone’s got this idea that garage causesviolence because of the way the boys look with theircaps and coats and stuff, but we’re not promotingthat. It’s good that Carina’s done this thing at Nacro,because everyone can come together.’ Koosh agrees:‘We welcome help like this with open arms – now it’shappening.’ ‘That’s right,’ says MC Lyrical T, ‘we’removing forward now.’Co-ordinator Mick McMurray gestures to the areabehind the Nacro building, where an impressivemural bears the message: ‘Nacro – changing lives,creating opportunities.’ He explains that some of thepeople on the music project had been in trouble forspraying graffiti around town, ‘but this dodgy bit ofwall was crying out for it’. Flipz helped the designer,Spot, execute the mural, and he explains thethinking behind it. ‘Kids around here are not theway others see them – little hooligans,’ he says.‘They’re people with talent, and the mural here is anexpression of that talent.’ 11