Tomorrow’s Men has been developed following Jeanefer’s Rayne Fellowship, which saw her researching and developing ideas alongside the Metropolitan Police and key members of the Criminal Justice System (Diamond Initiative) as well as with other social welfare and arts organisations. Through this, Jeanefer found out the current needs of these, and similar, organisations to establish how dance activity can positively impact on the development of young men. Jeanefer explains her thinking:
“Knife crime is at an all-time high. We need to respond to the situation. Our society portrays males as emotionally inexpressive, resorting to violence when they’re not bottling up their frustrations and they often grow up conforming to stereotype. Boys need positive, supportive role models – not those who glamorise guns and drugs. Dance has the power to transform and empower people: to divert them from antisocial behaviour”.
“Men make up 96% of the UK prison population” – Office of National Statistics
Dance and theatre, if conveyed in an effective way, have the power to transform and empower: to divert youngsters from antisocial behaviour, to build trust and inspire them to express themselves creatively. Tomorrow’s Men is a result of a long held belief of Jeanefer’s that vulnerable young men in particular need positive, supportive role models and enhanced life skills which will enable them to communicate more effectively throughout their lives avoiding aggressive conflicts and responding appropriately to figures in authority.
Through her work to date Jeanefer has discovered that many of the leading officers and key individuals working in social welfare expressed concerns over the gaps in provision targeted specifically at improving the communications skills of vulnerable young men, who are often most at risk of succumbing to gang culture and using knives and guns as a form of expression. Inevitably this leads to aggressive anti-social behaviour, offending and re-offending, and an inability to communicate positively and effectively with their peers, families and figures in authority with whom they are likely to come into contact with during the course of their lives.
“Youth Crime dropped by 25% in Newham when sports facilities were introduced” – SmartJustice
“Dance is the second most popular physical activity for young people after football.” - PE and School Sport Club Links survey
At the forefront of Tomorrow’s Men mission is prevention, understanding that if young people can be engaged in physical and artistic activity at an early stage, supported by strong role models, then we can break the cycles, give them clearer pathways and offer them the chance to build a better future.
