Krept and Konan join MP to help local young people
Steve Reed MP has joined local hip-hop stars Krept and Konan to launch a scheme to help over 100 young people in Croydon develop the skills they need for a career in the music industry.
The local duo, whose debut album ‘The Long Way Home’ stormed into the music charts at number 2 last year before they won two MOBO awards, joined Council Leader, Tony Newman and Mr Reed at Croydon Town Hall. The Council’s cabinet approved a new project that will bring leading professionals from the music industry into local schools to run workshops on key aspects of the industry. The project will focus on young people who are underachieving or at risk of getting involved in gangs or anti-social behaviour.
In October, Mr Reed invited Krept and Konan, both originally from Thornton Heath, into Parliament to discuss problems facing young people in the community. Mr Reed agreed to help secure council support for the duo’s plans to run a project in local schools. Many young people in Croydon face a difficult future as the borough suffers from the biggest shortage of school places in the country and above-average levels of youth unemployment. Krept and Konan have pledged to help Mr Reed set up a youth trust to give young people from Croydon North a bigger say over decisions that affect them.
Commenting after the announcement, Steve Reed MP said:
This is a great initiative for young people in Croydon North and I’m really happy to have helped get it off the ground. When Krept and Konan came to see me in Parliament it was obvious they really wanted to put something back into the community they came from. They are an inspiration to many young people and I’m convinced this project will make a real difference. I’d like to congratulate Croydon’s Labour councillors for having the vision to support this exciting initiative.
You can view the full presentation to Croydon Council below.
Steven Reed is Labour MP for Croydon North and Shadow Minister for Children and Families. In 2018 his private member’s bill on reducing violent mental health restraint became law. In June 2019 he launched Labour’s civil society strategy outlining radical plans to empower citizens and communities.
Steve chairs the Cooperative Councils Innovation Network, co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London, was Leader of Lambeth Council 2006-12 where he led the council’s children’s services to become best-rated in the country and pioneered the public-health approach to tackling violent youth crime. He worked in publishing for 16 years and was an elected trade union branch secretary.