A Lewisham teenager has started organising monthly chill-out sessions for other boys dealing with boredom and isolation.
Lamar Big Jackson, 16, held the launch party for his ‘Bigs ChillOut’ at Denmark Hill Community Centre on 3 January, which was attended by around 30 boys between the ages of 13 and 17.
It was the fourth of what Big hopes to be many monthly gatherings for the boys to get out of the house and have face-to-face interactions.
Big said: “The idea for this came about during half-term when I was bored and I didn’t have many activities to do, I was just wasting my life.
“I want to get a lot of people involved, build a nice space for young men to express themselves, have conversations and help them feel better going back to school.”
Past sessions have included going to Comic-con, which was the first ‘ChillOut’ that took place in October, as well as a mystery bag giveaway and ice-skating, all organised by Big.
He said: “I’m trying to move away from technology, get outside and engage in as much activities as possible because you can play video games all you like but you still feel isolated.
“I don’t have a close male role model like a father in my life and I felt like I was missing something, so seeing everyone have a good time makes me feel happy, and they’re happy.”
Whilst Big’s mother, Lana, has been a strong supporter of her son’s project, she largely wants to remain in the background to keep the focus on the boys, Big, and what they want to do.
She said: “Big is really passionate and he kept coming to me about this.
“Right now, I’m going with his vision and hopefully we will be able to partner with organisations that can bring mentoring support or help create a positive mental state for the boys.”
NRGS Legacy was one of the organisations Big reached out to, and representatives attended the launch event with prospects of hosting the next session.
They are community company which aims to make music and resources more accessible to youths through their mentorship, activities, and support, based in north London.
Andre Rodley, from NRGS Legacy, was impressed by the work Big had done already.
He said: “Especially in the communities we come from, we know what boredom can breed, so its great to see youngsters out there thinking forward and finding alternative activities to do.”
NRGS Legacy are planning to hold a workshop for Big and his ‘ChillOut’ crew to go to their studio, take part in activities and find out what the boys are interested in from production, recording, to music videos.
While some of the boys attending were friends Big already knew or from his school, the community has expanded due to posting online and word spreading.
Matthew, 15, and his twin brother were two of the fresh faces attending, having asked their mother about going to the event after seeing the Big’s flyer posted online.
Their mother, Sonya, said she was sceptical at first about what possible influences could be attending, but was pleasantly surprised after seeing the environment.
She said: “In this day and age, it’s a nice atmosphere with no problems going on, everyone’s calm and mingling well together.
“In my time children would go out and play because they didn’t have access to this technology, so if they don’t have the games they are bored, but there’s a big world out there.”
Sylvia Raven, Denmark Hill Community Chair, also had her 17-year-old son attend supported Big’s project by paying for the four hours at the hall.
She said there was more the government could be doing in providing programmes for youths to combat boredom.
She said “I believe it is vital to develop and implement more engaging programs and opportunities tailored to their needs.
“Boredom can lead to disengagement and other negative behaviors, so creating initiatives that capture their interest is crucial.”
At the launch, feedback forms were left for the boys to fill out to see their reflections and how other future sessions could be improved, and there was a common theme running through the responses.
Lana said: “The biggest challenge they all have is boredom, and struggling with coming out of the house.”
Featured image by Celine Marshall
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