Impact Case Study: Jordan Dulski from Project Zero WF CIC

Jordan Dulski worked as a youth mentor with Waltham Forest-based Project Zero WF CIC for five months, where he was able to divert young people from dropping out of school or antisocial behaviour and into positive healthy living activities. Project Zero engages young people in positive activities to promote social inclusion and reduce anti-social/offending behaviour. They aim to see a year where there have been ZERO deaths of a young person due to knife crime or youth violence.

In 2022 Project Zero WF CIC was a recipient of a Large Grant from our Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund to deliver a creative learning and employment programme using virtual reality art for young Black, Asian or ethnically diverse and socially disadvantaged people to the potential of their digital, gaming and artistic talents. The Fund is backed by our partner Westfield Stratford City. 

In these videos, Jordan talks about the life-changing experiences he was able to facilitate in supporting young people on the edge, through his listening skills, empathy and own lived experience. He stresses the importance of meeting people where they are, helping debunk myths about school and life and the value of art and creativity in everyday life.

“But it was probably one of the best things I’ve done in terms of like the like spiritual benefit you get from it because you’re essentially helping the youth, which is going to be the next people in charge, you know what I mean, you’re kind of like building up what’s coming next.”

Find out more about Jordan’s experience helping the next generation face the many barriers in their lives, to find meaning, purpose and happiness, and in doing so, helping to create a legacy for his own life.

Photo & video: Chris Baker

Part 1

Transcript: So my name is Jordan. I work, well I used to work for, I recently left them, an organization called Project Zero. It’s essentially a youth program. So we used to help kids who are either going through stuff at home or going through things at school who need more support and advice from maybe people who have lived experience and have been through that or like forms of charity that you just want to give for the kids and yeah, I recently left them because I’m just looking for other jobs. But it was probably one of the best things I’ve done in terms of like the like spiritual benefit you get from it because you’re essentially helping the youth, which is going to be the next people in charge, you know what I mean, you’re kind of like building up what’s coming next. Yeah.

Part 2

Transcript: So I was, err, there was like physical activity that I was doing with them and it was also mentoring. So the mentoring would be for example, I had a kid who he had trouble at school because he just couldn’t focus and he was like bunk lessons and skip lessons. And I told him like I didn’t, I wasn’t the type of person to be like, Oh, you have to go to school, you have to do this or you have to do that. It was more like, you know, if you don’t like school it’s fine. You don’t have to like it. There’s thousands of other options for you to take. So I basically I was like, that reality in their life. Like, don’t worry, this is just school. I tried to just put less pressure on them so they can because for me, for example, when I was in school, remember a lot of pressure and then coming out of school was like, wow it wasn’t really that deep like, I could have failed all my GCSEs and still have a job, I know people that do and still have fine and still live a good life. You know, I’m saying I feel like, I just made it easier for the kids.

Part 3

Transcript: Yeah, that’s all that matters sometimes. They just want to be heard or they just want somebody to not judge them for something that makes people in general more open. If you were to tell me about yourself and I judged everything you told me, you probably wouldn’t open up to me anymore, would you? Whereas if I was like, Oh, okay, well, that’s you. That’s your life, this is my life, you would probably more be more like open to speak to me or listen to me as well. Take what I have to say in.

Part 4

Transcript: There was a kid I worked with and he was having a lot of troubles at home, so I bought him a gym membership for three months. And you could see I could literally see like his his energy, his attitude, his mood is just better in general, just because he hasn’t changed what he’s doing, he’s just going to the gym that one little thing has literally changed who he is, how he reacts to people, how he comes into school that day, you know, I mean.

So a lot, let’s say for there was, there was another kid who he loved football, but he just didn’t have the confidence to get to go play for a football team. So because I knew a coach, I told him to go to the session and then the coach would look after him and and eventually he actually managed to build up that confidence to be able to just go to football, do you know what I mean, and he’s actually a good he’s actually a good football player, but he just didn’t have the confidence to go there. So sometimes it’s just but there’s just that little push that they need. And now that he’s in a comfortable state, he’ll go to the football by himself. So it’s like, do you know what I mean, that’s better than not doing that.

Part 5

Transcript: I think art, culture, creativity. One of the most important things because first of all, art comes in every different type of form like this photography is art, you recording me is art, you writing whatever you’re writing is art, you know, I mean, you can find it in everything which makes it so versatile. People aren’t pushed towards a certain thing. They can literally do anything they want and create their own art and make their own story.

Well, a lot of my friends are creatives anyway, so I have friends who are musicians, producers, or like mutual artist drawing things in and I feel like they just they’re just happier people. The more creative you are I feel the more happier you are because I like creative people. When they get bored, they tend to get creative because they’re bored. So it’s like they never really fall off. Do you know what I’m saying? They always fall back on to creativity because that’s like their, their base. And then from that it just grows into something bigger.

To learn more about Project Zero WF CIC’s work see projectzerowf.co.uk. 

To learn more about the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund, see our Grant Programme page.