ELEVATORS PRESENT

We are ELEVATE’s Youth Advisory Group. We help shape ELEVATE’s mission and decide its direction. We’re excited to be leading on a new programme strand: ELEVATE Neighbourhoods, a brand new initiative focusing on young people in their communities. Developed in collaboration with the Council’s Youth & Play team it contributes to making Lambeth one of the best places to grow up, where it’s possible to discover a love and talent for creativity, and through that grow in confidence and wellbeing.

Following an open call and online briefing hosted by the Elevators, the group assessed and scored 19 project applications. Seven awards of £7,000 were made to these organisations and projects:

  • Coin Street collaborates with Waterloo Community Theatre to run weekly drama and theatre-making sessions at Chandler Community Hall, Lambeth Walk. Sessions focus on performance, story-telling and screen-writing skills. The work developed will address young people’s position in society and the challenges they face. Towards the end of the project Iconic Steps will help turn the young people’s work into film and a multi-media showcase is planned to celebrate the creative outcomes. Coin Street’s Youth Forum will help shape and evaluate the project along with the Elevators

 

  • Neon Performing Arts leads Let the World Begin, a chance to take part in making a show from scratch as a performer or creative. Participants can engage in dance/choreography, singing/songwriting, acting/scripting, costume, set design and video editing. The show will be built around young people’s answers to the question: If you could change one problem in the world, what would it be? The programme takes place at the Vauxhall Gardens Community Centre and focuses on the development of personal, social and technical skills. The show will take place in a local venue provided by Vauxhall One BID.

 

  • UINCAP with Oxygen Arts at the Kennington Park Centre, runs Two and a Half Questions, a film project leading towards an interactive online archive. Content will speak of local identities, and the aspirations and experiences of Black British people rooted in the area. Participants will identify and interview prominent characters to create an hour-long film with clips for social media. These will be screened at local venues and used to promote the online archive where local people will be able to upload their own content.

 

  • Art4Space leads Creative Pathways, a phased programme beginning with sessions designed to encourage self-expression, including an exhibition opportunity. Following that, five paid placements will take place; young people will spend 20 hours working with Art4Space to develop the skills they choose (AQA and Arts Award accredited). The final phase involves the same five in the design and delivery of their own creative projects, in connection to community groups and with support from Art4Space. Art4Space will also signpost the five towards further training and employment opportunities.

 

  • WeRise launches Be A Creative, a development programme for young talent, connecting participants to local career opportunities. The programme begins with an open creative workshop in which participants meet mentors from local creative companies (representing design, installation, illustration and animation) and try out various creative practices. Based on their interaction and output during this workshop, ten will then be invited to join an intensive 10-week programme in which participants meet weekly with mentors and each create a Story of Me, to be showcased at the end of the project.

 

  • Spiral Skills brings high profile TV and film professionals into contact with young people, helping them to tell their stories through that media and break into the industry. Spiral’s expertise lies in holding workshops that mimic careers in the industry, involving participants in the act of pitching a concept, writing, directing performing, shooting and editing their own scenes. The Spiral Student Support Team will work alongside this activity to ensure participants take advantage of what is learned and the networks they are introduced to.

 

  • Game Anglia, a recent arrival in the Borough, develops a range of digital game-making kits to help young people create short narrative experiences. Kits will be introduced to young people through a series of online workshops, addressing how to i) tell a story, ii) programme multiple choice adventures, iii) publish a game, iv) give constructive feedback on games. A 48-hour online event (game jam) will help each participant complete their game, supported by Game Anglia tutors. Games will be showcased online and awards made.

 

Between September 2020 and March 2021 these organisations will work with 250 young people between them and during this time, ELEVATE will work to strengthen the networks between grantees and the more established cultural organisations in the borough, as well as organising group meetings where project leaders can come together to share intelligence, progress and learning.

Yours: Akira / Ayo / Benna / Damian / DJ / Emeka / Georgina / Kyra / Lara / Letitia / Whitney

Lambeth Elevator