SHORT, BACK & INSIDERS..

Sam teaches barber skills to young offenders

SAM Arthur cuts quite a dash as he moves from one head to the next, scissors in hand and sound advice on his lips. Trainees listen intently as the North Belfast barber extolls the virtues of not holding your clippers too rigidly and moving forwards from the crown to the front of the head as you create the latest must-have style.

A master barber with more than 30 years in the trade, Sam is so well known in the hairstyling game he is regularly in London giving seminars.

But last week the trainees hanging on his every word weren’t in any upmarket salon – they were in jail.

But the fact these would-be barbers are convicts is of no consequence to Sam as he teaches them how to “fade” properly, or dry from the roots to get body, while they nervously hold the clippers to a fellow prisoner’s head.

They’re here to learn and he’s here to teach them, he says, and that’s all there is to it.

Sam adds: “I’ve a few mates who are warders and they asked if I’d come in and give the lads some tips and I said, ‘Aye, no bother’.

“I didn’t have to stop and think about it for a second. And since I’ve been coming, they’ve been brilliant. They want to learn, they’re mad keen and that’s what counts. It’s all about the right attitude and they’ve all got it, so it’s a pleasure to help them.”

The lads Sam is helping to turn into the next generation of stylists are all in Hydebank Young Offenders Centre, on the outskirts of South Belfast. For being “inside”, they are remarkably well groomed and a little preoccupied with how their hair looks.

CLIPPERS

But the “salon” they’re standing in, named The Bank Barbershop, could easily be a business on the outside, with a shelf full of product, sinks to wash hair in, proper barber chairs and the lads wearing Wella-branded aprons.

Sam comes in when ever he can, but three days a week the lads learn under the watchful eye of tutor Hannah Millar from Belfast Met.

She looks on as young fellas who have ended up in the wrong side of the law happily wash and comb the hair on a dummy’s head – one of the first stages ahead of getting to grips with clippers and scissors.

After coming to Hydebank for three years, she says she has “never had any bother” in what many might consider a learning environment far removed from the norm. Hannah added: “They’re into their hair and they’re into their gym, so they love it here and they come here to learn. They’re so into the hair that they’ll do each other’s on the landings, though up there they only have clippers as they aren’t allowed scissors. But they land in here the next day to get it fixed up.

“When they are standing at the chair, they are so proud of what they are doing. That’s their masterpiece, their work of art that they’re working on and it’s very important to them. But this isn’t just passing the time, this is working towards a real qualification. Ultimately this is about life after jail.”

Hannah says the haircuts cost £4, which goes towards equipment and hair products, offering the lads some insight into the business end of cutting hair.

There are some written elements to the qualification that could present problems for inmates who cannot read, Hannah adds. But in that case questions are read allowed.

As Sam works on one young fella in the chair, Stephen stands close by taking it all in. It’s obvious he’s keen to learn, asking questions and nodding at the answers.

He says he’s been in and out of Hydebank over the last three years, with his current stretch for “robberies and hijackings”, but would “love a job as a barber” when he gets out.

SUPPORT

He added: “At home I was sitting about doing nothing, but I love this, I love learning about it and I’d take a job in a heartbeat. I want being a barber to keep me out of here.”

Richard Taylor, governor of Hydebank, said: “The vision is to support people to live purposeful lives free from offending, making a positive contribution to the community.

“People enter custody with many complex needs – there is a high incidence of disability and mental health issues, as well as significant levels of drug and alcohol dependency.

“The barbershop is just one innovative project which has engaged many students to help them develop their personal skills as well as self-esteem and positive mental attitude.”

I love learning about it and I’d take a job in a heartbeat STEPHEN YOUNG OFFENDER IN HYDEBANK

CAN THEY CUT IT.. Sam passes on his skills in Hydebank

HOPE Centre tries to help young offenders

HAIR I GO Student tries his hand