A Birmingham youth worker says he wants to see barbers trained up so they can speak to their clients about mental health issues, after a successful pop-up event in the city.
Jadieal Millwood, who is a senior youth worker at Birmingham City Council, launched the My Tomorrow barbershop initiative at The Lighthouse Young People’s Centre, in Aston, on Thursday 31 October.
The dance studio was transformed into a pop-up barbershop for the day, offering free trims to young men who were encouraged to open up about their mental health and aspirations for the future.
The event was funded by the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) as part of the My Tomorrow campaign, which is designed to empower youth voice and improve the life chances of young people across the region.
Jadieal said: “The My Tomorrow Barbershop is a new initiative and will focus on three key areas: mental health awareness, envisioning your future, and identifying the support necessary to achieve your goals.
“I’m hoping to break down the stigma around young men talking about their feelings because we know they bottle it up.”
“Barbershops are a hidden resource within communities which could be better utilised to provide support for young people. Just like taxi drivers, they see a lot in communities.
He added: “The idea after this event is to work on a neighbourhood approach in Lozells and Newtown first, to do more work with the barbers because there is probably around 12 barbers in this neighbourhood.
“To work with those barbers to achieve the same thing in terms of that level of training and understanding and accredit them as a My Tomorrow barbershop.”
Councillor Mick Brown, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, said: “This new barbershop initiative is a fantastic idea bringing together the collaborative partnership between Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) to empower the voices of young people across the city.
“The aim of the My Tomorrow campaign, which is youth-led is to spark conversations between communities that can build understanding and lead to collaborative, positive actions amongst young people, providing them resources and opportunities they may not have access to.”
23-year-old Thyce Armani Walker was one of the first customers on the day and said: “I think it’s a really good campaign because it promotes a positive message.
“When I was in the barber chair earlier I was chatting to the barber about what we think about mental health and the younger generation of today and how they can stop themselves going down the wrong path.
“I spoke about what I do, in terms of staying energetic, staying fit in the gym and eating healthy.
“I think this idea to train up barbers could work because that’s where a lot of the interaction will happen with young men, and it could have a larger impact on the community.”
The event, which also featured African drumming, arts and crafts, inflatables, face painting and free food, was delivered by Birmingham’s Community Safety Partnership, alongside partners including Birmingham Children’s Trust, and Made CIC.
Delivery Manager at the VRP, Matt Stone said: “This is such a brilliant example of how effective partnership working can benefit young people in Birmingham.
“Barbers are often the eyes and ears in communities and supporting them to keep their neighbourhoods healthy and happy is a great way to increase community safety.”
