Confidence in community: 10 Londoners on the impact of music charity YUAF

The Young Urban Arts Foundation provides accessible, vital spaces for young people to be empowered through creativity.

With arts and culture funding in the UK having fallen drastically under 14 years of Tory rule, community investment is more essential than ever. Charities like the Young Urban Arts Foundation (YUAF) are doing the work, creating dedicated spaces for young people to discover and develop their own artistic skills in dynamic, supportive and well-connected environments.

YUAF was founded in 2009 by Indigo Reign (Kerry O’Brien), formerly known as drum ’n’ bass artist Lady MC, after an invitation to speak at a school sparked a long-term mission to inspire and support students. Targeting underrepresented areas, the charity’s team of producers, songwriters, lyricists and youth workers now visit local schools and streets to deliver workshops, mentoring and more – all from a renovated double-decker bus. Prioritising practical skills and access to high quality equipment as much as personal development, their goal is to connect young artists with like-minded people in the present, and with real-life creative opportunities in the future.

Here, 10 YUAF affiliates – both mentors and mentees – reflect on being part of its growing community, and everything they’ve gained in the process.

Juan, a.k.a. Ruty, 23

YUAF artist

@rutty.8

“I’ve done several workshops with YUAF and they inspired me to become a youth worker, which I now do myself. As a musician, though, they really built my confidence and made an industry that’s hard to break into accessible to me.”

Isaiah, 18, and Brierley 19

YUAF content creators

“A lot of these spaces you usually have to pay for, and the government has shut down a lot of places where young people can be creative, so it’s important something like YUAF exists.” – Isaiah

“I was referred to YUAF by a friend who had been on the cohort. For me, going to the workshops every week was something I really looked forward to. It brightened up my week and I didn’t realise what I was missing until I was there. What I’ve learnt in such a small space of time has been really impactful.” – Brierley

Sarah Viljoen, 19

YUAF artist

@7sarahviljoen

“YUAF is a community. It’s like that phrase ‘it takes a village’. The adults here really invest in us and try to understand us. They’re really proactive about doing so, whether that’s through time, money, music equipment. Teenage years are crucial in shaping who a person becomes, so it’s great that YUAF can catch people at that time to help them develop.”

DJ Kaspa

YUAF ambassador

@kaspa_uk

“It’s not like we’ve come and read out of a book, and we’re teaching young people how to direct their lives; we’ve actually been there and done that, and we’re walking testimony. It’s incredible to be able to inspire and engage the young people in order for them to be successful in their future and build their confidence. It’s not like the school system, it’s not part of the curriculum. It’s not structured and serious. It’s fun. It’s creative. I think it’s really vital.”

Graceé, 18

YUAF artist

 @itsactually_gracee

“I discovered YUAF in 2020. They sent an advert through my school and my dad was like, ‘You’re not doing anything, you’re just inside this house. You should join the online workshops.’ I did the poetry one, the rap one, and songwriting. It was basically a bunch of young people joining on Zoom and figuring out what we could do creatively.”

Alicia (a.k.a. Lycie), 20

YUAF artist

“I heard in a group chat that YUAF was pulling up near my college, so I thought ‘Let me just go down to the bus and see what happens’. The first day I was there I ended up on a cypher track with like ten different people. It was crazy, it was cool, and I loved it.”

CIX, 23

YUAF artist

@therealcix

“Without a studio, you can’t create music – that’s like a woodcutter not having an axe. I can’t really explain how important it is to have spaces like this for artists and young people that are trying to create something out of nothing.”

Koder

YUAF ambassador 

“Unfulfilled potential is my opp, it’s my enemy. So whenever I’m sitting with these young people – people that aspire to get into the creative industry – my whole thing is nurturing their gift, fostering that local greatness and bringing out that potential in them.” 

Nazzy Dinero, 21

YUAF graduate

@nazzydinero

“Everyone is on the same mission; we all have the same journey. We’re all versatile. We all get along. It’s like a family.”

Jahmale, 22

YUAF artist

@jahmalehudson

“I came across YUAF during a youth forum, where Sense (Head of YUAF Pathways) was talking about queer inclusivity in the creative industries. I did an online workshop as part of that, and the openness I felt in YUAF to be myself was what kept me coming back.”