These newspaper cuttings document a recycling education project delivered by St Helens-based Hip Hop and break-dancing organisation UC Crew during 2014 and 2015.

UC Crew received funding from the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority and the Veolia Environmental Services Community Fund to deliver a 12-month recycling project across St Helens.

The project used drama, role play, games, household objects and Hip Hop culture to teach children about recycling, reusing materials and reducing the amount of household waste sent to landfill. Young people also created recycling posters and short film adverts to spread the message within their schools.

The learning continued outside the workshops. Children were given recycling challenges to complete at home with their families, and the project recorded improvements in household recycling habits. Children can be particularly effective at encouraging adults to recycle when they understand the reasons behind it and become passionate about protecting the environment.

By the end of the project in 2015, UC Crew had delivered 10 creative performance workshops in schools, libraries and youth clubs. The project directly engaged 414 people and reached a further 848 people through wider activity, giving it a total reported reach of 1,262 people.

The project is an early example of a St Helens Hip Hop organisation using creative youth work to support environmental education and influence behaviour within the wider family home. It also shows how Breaking and Hip Hop culture were used for community benefit, rather than only for performances and competitions.

UC Crew was established in St Helens in 2004 and later became Powered by Hip Hop CIC.