Charity Spotlight – The British DJ&MC Academy

LandAid’s £15,000 StreetSmart grant helped the British DJ&MC Academy launch its ‘Sound Shelter’ programme, empowering young people facing homelessness to gain skills, confidence, and opportunities in the music industry.

Social value

£15,000

Location

The Grangeway, London N21 2HG, UK

The British DJ&MC Academy is a charitable organisation focussed on empowering young musicians, DJs, rappers, singers, producers, and radio presenters from marginalised backgrounds. They have worked with more than 100,000 young people across London and the UK, offering safe, positive spaces to learn, create and connect.

They deliver impactful social projects that use student-run programmes, like radio shows, to tackle critical issues. These empower young people to use their voices and advocate for positive change within their communities.

How a LandAid grant helped

The British DJ&MC Academy came to LandAid, seeking funding to launch ‘Sound Shelter’, a transformative 24-month program designed to empower young people experiencing homelessness in Enfield and Haringey. The programme’s aim is to engage youth through music, delivering comprehensive music industry training, employability skills development, and mentorships to create pathways out of homelessness.

The grant from LandAid’s enabled the Academy to unlock sustained training time with young people who went to them to explore song writing and sound engineering, as well as giving them the momentum to celebrate their progress. Workshops include:

- Music production
- DJing
- Audio engineering
- CV writing
- Interview preparation
- Job search strategies

The workshops provide guidance, support and inspiration as young people navigate their journey towards independence and self-sufficiency.

Progression is starting to show. Some young people have moved into employment and other have enrolled in college.

Kareem Rickets, Mentor at DJ&MC Academy

Celebrating diversity, culture, and community

Black people in England are nearly four times more likely to experience homelessness than white people.

While the British DJ&MC Academy isn’t focused on any single community, its inclusive approach helps address these wider inequalities by opening up creative, educational and employment opportunities for young people who might be overlooked by systemic racism. In honour of Black History Month, we celebrate The Academy’s focus on diversity and strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected.

Through our grant, the academy was able to work with these groups to break down barriers, empower young people, and create a more equitable and inclusive society.

Discover more projects we've supported

We support charity projects across the UK to improve the lives of young people experiencing all kinds of homelessness. Take a look at the impact we have had.

Find out more