Marice Barnes - Project Lead
I spent most of my teenage years serving custodial sentences for various crimes but mostly violence. I lived in a children’s home for short periods of time in-between the times I spent in custody. Due to the trauma I experienced during childhood, I really struggled to regulate my emotions. This led to significant struggles with my mental health throughout my teens and early twenties, where I spent a lot of time in mental health establishments.
I have always had a passion for helping and caring for people and would usually do this among my peers. I was first approached by my ex Youth Offending Worker who offered me a position as a Peer Mentor for the Youth Offending Team. In this role I supported many young people to guide them away from crime and help them with strategies to deal with difficult emotions and situations. This was the beginning, it made me feel great inside that I was able to help someone make positive changes to their life using my own experiences. I went on to having my own case load within a charity organisation for gangs and sexual exploitation which was very rewarding and led me to another position working with women as risk/offending background.
For me, working on prevention is very important and this is why I took the position at “Unlock My Life”. My aim is to be able to have a positive impact on prisoners by educating them and raising awareness within the prison system.
3 facts about me:
I was once elected to the Youth Parliament.
I did a tandem skydive at 15,000ft for charity.
I really dislike cheese but love pizza.