{"id":14617,"date":"2018-01-20T16:22:54","date_gmt":"2018-01-20T16:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=14617"},"modified":"2018-01-20T16:22:54","modified_gmt":"2018-01-20T16:22:54","slug":"are-we-all-a-product-of-our-postcode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/are-we-all-a-product-of-our-postcode\/","title":{"rendered":"Are we all a product of our postcode?"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Whitechapel to Westminster: Gary Hutton, the Founder and CEO of the charity \u2018Product of a Postcode\u2019, exclusively shares his personal story, growing as a street-kid in Tower Hamlets.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The story reveals a personal journey of crime, danger, and self- transformation; starting in Chicksand Estate in Brick Lane, and ending last Monday, October 16th<\/sup>, in the House of Parliament.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/HNyvL-aFL5Q<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMy anger started from this day,\u201d Gary stated, as he was standing in the exact same spot where 42 years earlier he watched his mum\u2019s coffin being carried. The tremendous confusion of a seven-year-old boy, walking out of school, not knowing he\u2019s about to attend his mum\u2019s funeral, stays with him to this day. Gary\u2019s mum died at the young age of 41 to leukaemia, leaving behind 11 kids. That day, they lost not only a loving mum but also the warm and priceless feeling of security, that was deeply implanted in the precious love they shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom then, anger became a norm, it built up in me\u201c Gary explained, sharing the story of a street boy who was unfortunate to live crime and breath survival. As he was talking, his face was calm, and he was resting his gaze on the closed gates of St Anne\u2019s Catholic Primary School in Brick Lane, where he grew up. His eyes sparkled, possibly with pain that inescapably accompanies his story, or perhaps with the very present feeling of a personal victory.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Breaking the chains <\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary Hutton is the Founder and CEO of the charity Product of a Postcode. Being established in 2014, the charity aimed at mentoring and leading unprivileged young people, leading them away from crime and violence, and into a circle of education and fulfilment. The foundation has been set up in memory of Gary\u2019s beloved sister, Kim, who has dedicated much of her time to teaching and working with kids from dysfunctional backgrounds. The charity\u2019s establishment has followed a broad interest in Gary\u2019s story and inspiring personal transformation, which has been portrayed, directly and uncompromisingly, in his book, under the same name as the charity.<\/p>\n

Gary and I were walking around the back streets of Brick Lane and Whitechapel, only steps away from the bustling Saturday market. Gary was familiar with every street corner, as each seemed to accommodate some of his most tender childhood memories. Frequently, he would send friendly smiles to certain locals; who others would have probably avoided making any eye contact with, or choose not to notice.<\/p>\n

As we arrived in Chicksand Estate, where Gary was born, the story has begun to unfold: \u201cI was feral. My life was all about getting money and food; surviving, in a really harsh way.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>His face expression was blank, as if he was telling a story of another person he\u2019s completely detached from. \u201cI went shoplifting every week, and when I was arrested for the first time at the age of nine, I was caught for \u00a3120 worth of shopping. In the 70s\u2019, that was loads and loads of shopping, but for 11 hungry kids – we\u2019d demolish it. It was always about going out, and just thieving. I can remember nicking bread and milk off some doorsteps and getting them back home, making toast on fire for my brothers and sisters, so they could go to school and not be hungry. It became the norm, and it was out of necessity\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To the person who fathered him, Gary insists on referring to him as \u201cBin-Laden<\/em>\u201d, or \u201cBin<\/em>\u201d, if you prefer. He describes him with a pretty expressive despise, as a drunk and abusive man, who\u2019d seeded much of the rage and pain he holds to this day. Yet, where one might expect self-agony or weakness to take place, Gary demonstrates strength in the shape of a life-lesson that has been learnt. As he points: \u201cLooking back now at the survival I went through- it changed me; it hurt me, it gave me a lot of hang-ups in life, but it also made me the person I am today.\u201d Although being a CEO of a charity, Gary still refers to himself as the \u201chumble street kid from Tower Hamlet\u201d, proud of the Cockney accent he nurtures closely, respectful to the street rules, in which he\u2019s convinced a middle-class mentor just wouldn\u2019t understand. Gary stresses the advantages of using his personal journey as a tool for guiding young people to get into education and to aim for a better-fulfilled life. He determines: \u201cI know when a kid is hungry; I know when the kid is unwashed; I know when a kid being disruptive and why he’s disruptive. I know it because I lived that life. I am coming from a disadvantaged background, and I understand dysfunction better than anyone else, but I am also the one who broke the chains away from it\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mentors and role models <\/strong><\/p>\n

Worrying reports of the London Assembly\u2019s Police and Crime Committee<\/a>, published earlier this year, showed a serious rise in the annual number of victims as a result of serious youth violence and crime. In 2015-2016, overall, 6,290 victims have been reported, showing an increase of over 20% on 2012-2013\u2019s report – Evening Standards<\/a>\u2019 publication last year, the leading London boroughs for youth knife-crime causalities (Aug 15\u2019-Aug 16\u2019) are Lambeth (110), Tower Hamlets (106), Newham (96), Southwark (95), and Haringey (92).<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/YouthViolenceUK\/status\/919913137259806720<\/a><\/p>\n

In response to these disturbing figures, the Youth Crime Committee has been established, by certain MPs from all across the political spectrum. At the committee\u2019s first meeting, which took place last Monday, October 16th at the House of Parliament, various experts, including Product of a Postcode, have gathered to understand the causes behind the recent rise in youth crime. ‘Product of A Postcode’ has also presented the guiding method in which the charity built over the last three years, demonstrating some promising results, through a rather different educational approach. Alongside ongoing inspirational talks in which the charity regularly provides in schools and different educational institutions across London, the charity developed a ten weeks\u2019 programme called \u2018Fight for A Better Life\u2019. This unique education and employability initiative focuses on the encouragement and development of practical life skills, dedicated to young people who come from complex and dysfunctional backgrounds or were pulled away from circles of crime and violence. Michael Olatokun, the charity\u2019s Chairman, says: \u201cWe provide people that have not been served a silver spoon, with real education delivered by people who experienced the same sort of issues that they have, or with a similar background to them, to make a real difference to their lives and to really improve them\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To Gary, the charity is a way to cherish the memory of his beloved sister, but also a way to give back, having the opportunity to pull young people away from the journey he happened to go through. \u201cWe are all a product of a postcode; our mentors and role-models make us what we become\u201d, he passionately explains. \u201cI\u2019m always asking the kids a question when I\u2019m doing a workshop or a talk: \u2018would you want your life for your children?\u2019 And a 100% of them say \u2018no\u2019. So I ask them: \u2018why can\u2019t you love yourself enough to live the life that you want for your kids?\u2019. Gary describes some puzzlement in their usual responses to the question. Presumably, a familiar sense of confusion, wrapped with a hint of hope, that he experienced himself some 25 years ago.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Words: Adi Cohen\u00a0| Subbing: Pamela Machado<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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