The city group which helps ‘transform’ kids
A COMMUNITY youth group in Highfields is giving kids who have an interest or talent in the performing arts a chance to get in touch with their creative side.
Joanne Alexander and Coral Roberts, founders of the group Can’t Blame Da Youth, have worked tirelessly for the past eight years to encourage young BAME children and those from disadvantaged backgrounds to find their voice and build confidence through singing, dancing and acting.
A parent of one of the group’s members has called founders Joanne and Coral the “queens of Highfields” for their contributions to the community and dedication to helping young people in Leicester.
Joanne said that the negative stigmas and stereotypes surrounding young people were the focal point of coming up with the group’s name.
She said “You can’t always blame young people for everything that they get involved and drawn into.
“For example, the media, family background, peer group pressure are all factors that have an impact on what our kids get drawn into and so we can’t always blame them. That’s where the name sort of derived from.”
However, with that in mind, she said they try and help the children understand that they make their own choices, right or wrong, and that they are there to support them and help them down the right path.
Of the group’s diverse make-up, Joanne said: “We are different because we are very multicultural. We’ve got Asian, Black, Polish, mixed race children, and they come together as one big family.
“We teach them that it doesn’t matter where they come from, when they come into this space, they are family.”
The children have been preparing for their summer showcase since before Christmas, and Joanne highlighted that a lot of family, friends and members of the community are expected to offer their support.
She said both parents and children travel from all corners of the city to participate.
Dance and drama coordinator, Angela Parks, said the group fills an important hole left by the disappearance of a number of free youth clubs once available to kids in the city.
“We are an important part of the community because we get the kids off the street. This is a place where the community and people from different backgrounds can come and feel a part of a collective group.
“A lot of our students come from disadvantaged backgrounds or backgrounds where they’re a little bit shy. So, what we love to see is the progression of them being quiet and introverted and transforming into these confident people on a stage.”
One such child is Eve Doyle’s eight-year-old son, Tomirus, who said: “I like doing everything from dancing to singing, doing poses and acting. When I was a bit younger, I used to feel nervous, but as time has gone on, I’m a lot more confident.”