A man who got caught up in gang crime has pledged to devote himself to giving Huddersfield youngsters a better start in life after turning his own life around.
Deighton resident, Dominic Mills, was only 17 when he was sent to prison for two years for robbery after being involved in a ‘gang war’ from his early teens.
But now he is one of the heads of a pioneering new scheme in Huddersfield that aims to help steer young people from disadvantaged backgrounds away from crime and realise their talents.
Dominic, now 30, is working as an outreach worker for Global Diversity Postive Action, where he has helped engage with dozens of ‘hard to reach’ teenagers after being mentored by the organisation’s founder, Sharon Jandu, who he met when he decided to get involved with the Princes Trust.
Dominic said: “It took a prison sentence to make me realise that being involved in crime was not the sort of life that I wanted to lead.
“Being inside was a horrible experience and I realised that I didn’t want anyone else to have to end up there before they came to the same conclusion.
“I know how easy it can be to get caught up in crime-I grew up on an estate with a gang that I just started hanging around with from quite a young age but tensions with other gangs escalated and I found myself in prison.”
He enrolled on a four week course with the Princes Trust before becoming an ambassador and beginning to volunteer at several projects across the area.
At the same time he met Sharon, a magistrate and business contractor, who decided to give him a paid job at the forefront of her campaign to encourage those she met in the justice system to turn their back on crime.
He is tasked with finding young people in disadvantaged communities and encouraging them to get involved with GDPA, where they undertake education programmes and are helped to do further training or college courses to get the job they want.
Dominic, who is also studying for a level two City and Guilds qualification in Children and Young People’s Workforce, said: “I love Huddersfield and I want to help improve lives in the area and prove to people that they can overcome barriers in their own life, however entrenched they may think they are.
“Being given the chance to work with people from my own area is great because I know exactly where they are coming from.
“It’s really brought it home to me how much talent there is amongst them and I would hate for that go to waste.”
The GDPA recently launched its creative hub in Ray Street, which has been backed by Microsoft, who have fitted several state of the art music and production studios.
They have also allowed the teenagers to use the centre to create their own art and to talk to staff about how to realise their aims.
Dominic said: “They’ve got ideas but don’t know how to channel them so we hope that this hub will allow them to do that.
“It’s a place where they can get real skills and confidence, which will open their eyes to new opportunities they may not have thought of before and give them a better chance of getting the job they want.
“But we’re also trying to involve as many local businesses as we can with the project to help them get their foot in the door.
“The problem I’ve found is that some businesses still judge young people based on their background, so even if they get to volunteer they can still find it hard to find paid work.
“If they have enthusiasm to do something positive with their lives this should be celebrated and nurtured.”
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