A creative workshop based in East Dulwich, led by a former young offender turned community hero, is helping local young people who have received a court order to pursue a career in the arts.
Roadworks Media is a production company that runs youth crime prevention workshops for twelve to eighteen-year-olds.
It offers creative skills and mentoring programmes to young people who have either been in the youth justice system or are at risk of entering it.
It is led by Quince Garcia, who got into selling drugs as a teenager living on a Camberwell estate, which led to him being in and out of prison throughout his 20s. He said he never felt like he fitted in and his low self-esteem led him to that life of crime.
In 2009, with the formation of Roadworks Media, he now uses his experience to support and mentor other youths in the same position. The idea is to build their confidence by supporting them to carve their own future to steer them away from crime.
This year, they have worked with 20 young people in Southwark for the ‘At Risk Project’ – a six-month funded program backed by Southwark Council.
It is aimed at preventing young people with experience in the youth justice system from reoffending.
Based at the Southwark Youth Offending Centre in East Dulwich – the young people have access to a range of equipment, such as a keyboard, microphones and recording software, there’s space for painting and cameras for filming.
This weekend, (September 1-3) they will be holding an exhibition titled ‘No More Eugene’ to showcase the artwork, photography, and short films created on the At Risk Project.
Quince said he is dedicated to showing how effective positive intervention can be to deter young people from going down the wrong path.
One young person who attends the workshop is eighteen-year-old Joseph Santiago.
He grew up on an estate in Peckham and said a few years ago he was getting into trouble a lot.
“For example, we were drinking one night and the next thing we’re going out to steal a car,” he told us. “I wasn’t in a good place.”
He came face-to-face with the youth justice system a few times for offences like car theft and selling drugs but he said he reached a point when he wanted to change.
“That life is exhausting. I’ve seen my friends go to prison. I never went but it was going that way. One day I just realised there’s more to life than that.”
He said the help he receives from Quince has inspired him to follow his passion of getting into film-making.
“Quince sends us texts like ‘keep doing what you’re doing, you’re doing great’ – words of encouragement throughout the day,” Joseph said.
“He genuinely cares about us. Sometimes you don’t get appreciated much in this area so having someone to say that means a lot.”
“I want to be a director – I’ve got an interview with a production company to become a runner and I want to work my way up.”
Asked about the culture of youth crime in Southwark, Joseph said that from his experience, he doesn’t feel like it is down to a lack of opportunity in the area. “I’m going to be honest, if you really want something you will go and get it – there are opportunities.”
He said the reason he thinks young people are going down that path is their lack of self-belief.
“Most people don’t know they can follow a different path – they don’t have confidence,” he said.
“They are just stuck there in that one place and no one helps them to get out. A lot of them don’t realise it’s the people they are hanging around. It’s a spiral.
“Quince helps you build that confidence and from there we can do whatever we want.”
Another young person who joined the program is Koigor Gambai, 16, who explained he found himself with a court order after a few incidents, including when he set fireworks off outside his school: “That was an offence because it could have hit and seriously injured a member of the public,” he said.
Koigor said he loves acting, but before joining Roadworks he never knew how to get into it.
“My probation officer introduced me to Quince and told him I wanted to act. That’s where it all started.”
He has acted in some of the films and will be performing a monologue at the event this weekend.
“I realise I have a purpose now.”
“I want to be able to tell untold stories – there are a lot of stereotypical stories being told in films and TV series from the areas we come from. But what about the positive stories from our community.”
“I want to tell them.”
‘No More Eugene’ will take place at Copeland Gallery, Peckham – from Friday, September 1 to Sunday, September 3.
Entry is free. Click here to reserve a ticket.