Music offers youths alternative to crime

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More than 400 young people will take part in Sunday's event, You Have A Choice, which offers them alternatives to gangs and crime. It features new London music acts as well as dance studios and drama workshops.

The event has been organised by Natalie Mayhew, a secretary and a youth worker at Molesey Youth Centre in West Molesey, Surrey.

She said: "We no longer need to raise the awareness of gun and knife crime. I believe we need to do something to change things.

"Children just don't know where to go these days and I think that's where the stabbings come from. They're on the streets doing nothing while so many programmes are on offer - that's what I wanted to highlight." Participants will be able to obtain information on activities and listen to acts including singer Cherri V, grime artist Chipmunk and hip hop artist Blemish Blackstorm.

Ms Mayhew, 30, said: "We need to engage with children but on their level and that's why I wanted to do it through music. It is easy to hang out in gangs on the streets. We have to give youngsters an alternative."

Meanwhile, a separate project which aims to transform the lives of alienated children through music is launched today. Music for Disenchanted Youth will initially work with about 18 children, aged 10 to 14, from deprived backgrounds in three areas of London. If this threemonth pilot is successful, the £300,000 scheme will run for three years.