Youth Music Mentors Presentation

Tamzyn French & Shayanna Dyer-Harris

What is the Kinetika Bloco?

• Formed in 2000 by Artistic Director Ali Pretty of Kinetika and Mat Fox local South London Music Teacher

• It’s grown from 30 drummers, dancers and musicians to deliver just one performance at the Thames Festival to 100+ members each year performing round the UK and participating in workshops together

• Age range is 14-25• Initial recruitment and training at the Annual Summer School• 67% of participants from Lambeth and Southwark• High return rate – in 2010 – 37% new participants, 36% attended 1

– 3 years, 20% 4-6 years and 7% over 7 years• The Kinetika Bloco draws its creative influences from the Caribbean,

Brazil, West and Southern Africa, India, New Orleans jazz, Funk and Hip Hop with a decidedly South London edge!

Our Mission

The Kinetika Bloco seeks long term engagement of young people from South London into an integrated ensemble of musicians, dancers and designers, enabling members to have creative engagement, determine company policy and direction and follow pathways for leadership and career development.

The Kinetika Bloco strives to demonstrate a positive representation of youth in London.

Kinetika Bloco Trainee Scheme

• 2004 started Trainee Scheme with 4 Trainees• Aim to give young people the opportunity for

more responsibility and ownership of the project and training

• Since 2004 we have given 32 young people paid Trainee positions

• 50% of these that we know of have gone on to further education or careers in the arts

Youth Music Mentor Scheme

• From 2008 - 2010 we received funding from Youth Music Mentors through Sound Connections to develop Mentoring within the Bloco

• We selected our Trainees to become Youth Music Mentors

• Mentoring is about a personal developmental relationship where a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person

• Trainees embody the culture, discipline, skills, musical style, attitude, friendship and social aspect of the Bloco

Benefits of Young People as Mentors

• Similar backgrounds offers understanding

• Shared language and culture

• Inspirational - Mentees can see what they could be and achieve

• Not so much “special treatment”

• Less teacher connotations

• Training and Development for the Mentors

Jesse Bello

• Mentee from Highshore School, Peckham

• 14 years old

• Physical and learning disabilities

Mentee Outcomes

“It was the best time of my life”

“It made me more confident in myself”

Took part in 10 full days of Summer School

Performed at the Royal Festival Hall twice, Southwark Youth Carnival and for 3 hours

at Thames Festival

Mentor Outcomes

• Training• Developing social skills• Awareness and understanding of Hard to Reach

young people• Increased confidence• Additional responsibility• More ownership of The Bloco• Enjoyment at seeing young people participate

and flourish

What we learnt

• Solid relationship with the referral agency

• Good Training and support for Mentors

• The right kind of people as Mentors

• Set the project up in the Mentees environment before expecting them to come to you

Kinetika Bloco | tamzyn@kinetika.co.uk | 07795142535 | www.kinetika.co.uk