Tottenham man on mission to 'change lives' by taking kids out of London

Malaki Morgan-Richards is launching a fundraiser to help Tottenham’s youth experience the great outdoors, reports Taro Kaneko

Malaki Morgan-Richards (inset) and a cosy campfire (credit Mike Erskine via Unsplash)

A Tottenham resident is hoping to help change the lives of underprivileged young people by taking them on a free trip out of London.

Malaki Morgan-Richards, 21, is arranging a camping trip to help steer young people away from crime and learn valuable skills.

Malaki was one of ten young people to win a free trip to Antarctica in 2022 and wants to give underprivileged young people in North London an adventure of their own.

The part-time caterer said: “I changed a lot off that one trip and I that change I experienced I want to give back to others.

“I cant help everyone, but I can help ten kids and they can help others – like a positive virus.”

Malaki plans to take ten children aged between twelve and 16 to an Essex camping site for a week during the February half-term. Participants will be involved in multiple sports and teambuilding exercise to develop social skills.

The trip will be led by Malaki and three other adults who are trained mentors and first aid responders.

This is the first programme he has set up with the assistance of the WeTwo Foundation – a company that runs expeditions for underprivileged young people.

The trip is intended for young people who experience poverty and crime in their area– which Malaki himself had personal experience with growing up.

He said: “During the holidays, teenagers have nothing constructive to do. They may go to a party and there could be a knife there. I want to take them out of that environment and put them around a campfire and work together.”

Before participating in the expedition to Antarctica, he said he was living in poverty in Tottenham and was involved in crime activity to make money for himself and his family.

After being arrested for possession of Class A drugs, however, he joined a youth club in Enfield where he was introduced to the idea of applying for the WeTwo Foundation Antarctica trip.

He said: “I want to make sure that no more children must live the road that I had to go down.

“When criminals invite children to sell drugs, steal bikes or hurt people, they never tell them the next step which is jail.”

Malaki has begun fundraising by doing a 50-mile walk later in the month and has set up a GoFundMe for donations.

To donate to Malaki’s fundraiser:
Visit gofundme.com/f/help-underprivileged-children-in-haringey-fulfil-
dreams

To contact Malaki and apply for the trip:
Visit instagram.com/wesucced_foundation

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.