An upcoming recruitment day will offer deprived young men in Birmingham the opportunity to join social and art activism campaign The Boys Project.

A workshop and recruitment day will take place Saturday 23 January at  mac Birmingham, and will offer a taster about what the project is all  about.

Young people interested in participating will meet participants  already involved, such as Brown Ntoto, the project manager David  Heinemann and Chris Sonnex, community producer at Royal Court  Theatre.

Change vilifying stereotypes through art

Initiated by artist Bryony Kimmings, the project is to offer young men a chance to work in a social and art activism campaign.

Participants, aged 18 to 25, who have experienced social and economic disadvantage or exclusion will be trained to challenge society through art.

According to the project’s website, their aim will be to:

“challenge and change the ways young working class men are stereotyped, vilified, abused and misinterpreted by both the government and mainstream media in the UK.”

At the end of last year, reports in the media on a series of polls stated that young men in the UK are being regarded by the public as lazy and rude. This can lead to them being disadvantaged in society.

Jerome Mitchell, a London participant, talks about his experience so far:

“I’d say this project is worth getting involved in. It gives the little guys that  society never wants to see or hear a voice to speak out loudly and proudly. It gives us a chance to be seen in a brighter light, not shadowed paint. It introduced me to the Royal Court where I am working right now.”

According to the organisers, in order to become a participant they need to:

• Have some experience of living on an estate.
• Believe they have been let down by the system or government.
• Understand what it means to take responsibility.
• Want something more than what they’ve got.

They do not need previous experience in performing arts.

Paid training leading to touring theatre work

The Boys Project aims to get young men the training and the opportunity to have an art related job for 6 months.

From February to August 2016, 60 participants will take part in monthly intensive training days in politics, economics, art and activism. They will train with 15 artists, such as Charlie Kronick(Greenpeace) and Gemma Cairney (BBC Radio 1).

Venues such as mac Birmingham and Royal Court Theatre will host this first stage.

Later on in the project, around half of the participants will be offered a place on a paid training programme. This is to prepare them for the last stage, which will involve a documentary and mid-scale touring theatre work, according to the project webpage.