Chamber conversations: Eva Hamilton MBE, Founder & CEO of Key4Life

I’m Eva Hamilton MBE, Founder and CEO of Key4Life. Originally from Ireland, I’ve spent more than 40 years working in the charity sector supporting some of the most marginalised people in the UK. My journey began in my early twenties when I felt called to live a life of service while volunteering at Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying in Calcutta. I’ve been driven ever since by a belief that, given the right support, everyone has the potential to change their life.

At Key4Life, no two days are the same. I might be in prisons working with our team on programmes to rehabilitate young men, holding horse therapy and other workshops at our residential centre in Butleigh, Somerset, meeting business leaders about employment opportunities, fundraising, or talking to policymakers about reducing reoffending. What keeps me motivated is seeing people who have been written off by society begin to believe in themselves again, as well as challenging the way Corporate Britain views people who have been through the criminal justice system. We are increasingly using the term ‘returning citizens’ as part of this positive reframing: recognising the person, their potential and what they can contribute, rather than defining them by their past.

Key4Life was launched at North Cadbury Court in Somerset by Sir Bob Geldof in 2012 in response to the London Riots of 2011, when I saw children as young as eight fighting. I wanted to tackle a problem that is often overlooked: how do we stop young men leaving prison from returning to a life of crime?

We work with young men aged 18–30 who are at risk of offending or have been involved in the criminal justice system. Our approach is very innovative because we address the underlying trauma and emotional issues that can drive offending and build resilience, alongside practical employability support. Our programmes combine horse therapy, music, football with QPR, emotional release work, mentoring and intensive employment preparation, helping participants understand themselves, build confidence and develop the skills needed for a different future.

We work across the UK, including extensively in the South West, where we have developed strong relationships with businesses, prisons and community partners. The results are hugely encouraging: around 8% of our participants reoffend or are recalled within a year of release, compared with a government rate of over 50%, and 62% move into employment, education or training.

I passionately believe that businesses have a vital role to play in creating a society where everyone has the opportunity to contribute. Many talented young people have made mistakes, experienced trauma or grown up without the support and opportunities that many of us take for granted.

If businesses are prepared to look beyond a criminal record and see the person and their potential, they can transform an individual’s life while also benefiting from a motivated and often incredibly loyal and hard-working employee.

Giving someone another chance can prevent further offending, reduce the cost to society and help that person become a tax-paying, contributing member of their community and society. It really is a win-win.

Businesses are absolutely central to what we do. We work with employers in a number of ways - from volunteering as mentors and taking part in employability, entrepreneurship and ‘mock interview’ workshops, to hosting our young men for insight days, work tasters and internships, and ultimately offering employment opportunities.

With over 75% of our young men growing up without a father, our mentors play a vital role by stepping up as responsible role models. With a six-month minimum commitment, they guide the young men on their journeys into employment and support them to integrate back into society.

There is something incredibly powerful about seeing a young man who has been told – directly or indirectly – that he doesn’t have a future, walk into a business and have someone recognise their potential. That one experience can be hugely transformative.

Our business partners also help us keep our programmes realistic and relevant; they provide useful insights into what employers actually need, allow participants to learn and practise those skills and, most importantly, provide a route into employment. With research showing that over 50% of UK companies would not employ former offenders, providing our young men with employment is the critical lifeline that keeps them away from crime.

We reward companies that employ individuals with convictions (for a minimum of six months) with our YOUNITED Flag kitemark. Launched in 2019 by music legend Nile Rodgers, our YOUNITED Flag movement aims to shift the stigma surrounding returning citizens and is a call to Corporate Britain to give them another chance and create meaningful employment opportunities.  With reoffending costing the UK government £23.6 billion a year, this agenda is absolutely vital for helping to break cycles of reoffending, easing the prison overcrowding crisis and making our streets safer for all.

There are many examples of young men who have arrived on our programmes feeling angry, isolated, lacking in self-belief and unable to see a future for themselves beyond crime, who have gone on to lead happy and positive lives and build successful careers.

For me, a key component of ‘success’ is giving back – and many of our programme graduates choose to train to become Key Mentors and use their lived experience to step up as relatable role models to support other young men. Our Key Mentors have a huge impact on the lives of our participants and are the bedrock of Key4Life, and for this reason, I would cite Aaron White as an exemplary success story.

Aaron, who was involved with drugs and gangs and in and out of prison for several years before turning it around with Key4Life, now works as a Key Mentor and Senior Case Worker for our charity, and he recently won the ‘Mentor of the Year Award’ at the Movement to Work Youth Employability Awards.

He shows a rare level of dedication and care to all the men he supports, and is instrumental in helping them grow in confidence, see their own potential, and turn their lives around. He now calls himself a dealer who sells ‘hope’ instead of drugs, and he has had an immense impact on the lives of hundreds of young men during the five years he has worked with Key4Life.

Key4Life has been a member of Business West Chambers of Commerce since 2016. We joined because we wanted to build stronger relationships with businesses across Bristol and the South West and create more opportunities to engage employers with our work.

Businesses are absolutely critical to what we do. We want to open doors for our young men through employability training, work experience, mentoring and, ultimately, employment – giving them the opportunity to build a positive future and break the cycle of offending.

We also wanted to help businesses understand the untapped potential of young people who may have been involved in the criminal justice system. By bringing the business and charity communities together, we can create meaningful opportunities that benefit both employers and the young people we support.

For me, it’s about creating connections that can support our young men and change many more lives.

What I value most is the opportunity to connect with a much wider business community. For an organisation like Key4Life, those relationships are incredibly important because businesses can play such a pivotal role in helping people who have been involved in the criminal justice system to move forward.

I also value the opportunity to share what we are doing through the Chamber’s blogs, events and wider communications, helping more businesses understand both the challenges facing young people and the huge potential that exists when we give people another chance.

The Chamber provides a valuable platform for bringing the charity and business worlds together, and I believe that collaboration is essential if we are going to tackle issues such as youth offending, unemployment and social exclusion.

I would say: join, but don’t just become a member – get involved. Make the most of the events, introduce yourself to other members, share your expertise and look for opportunities to collaborate.

There is also a great opportunity for businesses to combine commercial success with social purpose. Business West brings together a diverse community, and I would encourage any business to make the most of it.