Workers noticed shifts in mindsets , such as one young man that took on the role of promoting the project , encouraging others to get involved . Young people could listen to these tracks and think of friends in a positive way that were recorded and presented by the young men all contributing positively to the prison community something they ’ ve never had the opportunity to do . The Juke Box it suggested to listeners that through music of their choice there is a space for everyone here . This shone through at the Christmas Specials which included for example one DJ set based on the impact of Covid and presented to put a smile on people ’ s faces and another set on the theme of missing friends and family .
A good example of the contribution they are making is next week ’ s programme will focus on mental health . This is a response to the conversations around the current situation where prisoners are locked up for 23 hours , there is a lot of tension about . People are writing to us to tell us about music that calms them down , giving and asking for suggestion about what people do to unwind and deal with stress . There is a growing understanding about the positive impact people can have on other prisoners .
With an underlying masculine culture of violence and aggression within the prison , the performing arts can perforate the edges and offer new space and dynamics . Here , the Barnardo ’ s youth worker set the scene :
I find that working with young [ male ] offenders , they are really “ ballsy ”.
At the same time a lot of the young people are vulnerable and find it difficult to answer questions about themselves due to the perceived judgements , they think people will make about them . Many of them are not in touch with who they really are so they do not want to admit they are not good at something or they ’ re lacking in aspects of themselves or their lives .
However , by recognising their positive influence on the prison community , content for the Juke Box was designed to ease tensions , as K ’ s feedback continued :
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