We worked with Paddington Arts from May-November 2018 to manage an online creative writing and photography competition for young people between the ages of 16 & 24. We managed to reach out to a wide audience from the UK, Europe and beyond. “Even before rules were recorded, morality was expected…” - Shaniqua Benjamin (1st Prize Winner) The competition encouraged adolescents to explore prevalent issues related to faith, identity and belonging through the creative arts and writing. After receiving numerous photograph and article submissions, we offered prizes to the best three in each category. Below are some of the inspiring photography submissions we received. “Belonging is me, belonging is us, belonging is we.” -Nabeela Mulbocus (2nd Prize Winner) Each and every submission was unique, impactful and inspiring. We decided to print booklets with a selection of the outstanding entries to give to the participants and guests at the award ceremony.

You Press collaborated with the GLA (Greater London Authority) in order to find out how improvements could be made in bridging the gap between communities who are less well-represented and the authorities. We originally planned for 12 young researchers between the ages of 16-30 in the BAME community to conduct research with at least five family members and friends to see what concerns them in the community. The project gained so much attention that we ended up bringing on board 18 bright young people who were keen in expressing themselves creatively. On 7th February 2018, we delivered the first workshop for our Community Research Project called ROOTS LDN at the Paddington Arts facility. Like most meetings, our selected researchers were shy in communicating with each other at first. But after three core workshops over the course of six weeks, all of us managed to open up to each other, sharing our stories and expressing our diverse range of artistic thought. In the opening core workshop the group established 5 group values that we would reflect on over the course of the project: Honesty To be honest with not only the You Press team, but with yourself in what you will be able to commit to during the duration of the project. Trust To have trust in the You Press staff to provide a safe space in order to work and communicate regarding the project. Whilst utilising the trust you already have with family members to record effective and detailed data. Empathy To relate to the stories we share with each other. Creating a bond that not only brings the community together, but helps provide a better understanding of the plight of others. Inspire To inspire and be inspired. With the anecdotes you share and collect, the ability to convert what you gathered into a creative piece of art. Fun To have fun! In order to work effectively, there must be stimuli that helps you get your creative juices flowing. Whether through conversation or sharing your creative pieces in the workshops. In the second core workshop, the researchers alongside project coordinators shared their countries of heritage. From that, each participant created a short piece of poetry to share back to the group. Some of the work achieved that day displayed a lot of powerful verses revealing not only the pride of each researchers’ countries, but also the hardships faced through their history. In our final core workshop, we discussed and demonstrated the literary technique used by writers known as ‘Anecdotal Recollection’. In pairs, participants had to tell each other a short bizarre story with the task being to rewrite the story that they listened to. The aim was to demonstrate the core value by listening to these stories and interpreting them into their own artistic styles in written form. All researchers were required to record their data from a minimum of five family members and submit their creative output by the end of March 2018. From this we produced a final report and a celebration of the project including each researchers’ creative output.

For our “Voices of the Movement” project, we put together a performance in 15 weeks to shed light on the challenges faced by refugees and migrants, and the stigma against displacement. We worked with 11 participants, consisting of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, to influence them to share their stories and let their voices be heard. With the help of talented artists and volunteers from the community, the show was made possible in hopes of building a more accepting community of people from all different backgrounds. “Over land & sea, I follow my destiny…” With the help of expert facilitators, “Voices of the Movement” provided opportunities to learn and develop a wide-range of soft skills related to creativity, artistic expression, storytelling, nutrition and wellbeing. The project provided a safe and nurturing environment for the participants who worked closely with the artists to help transform their narratives into powerful poems, spoken word pieces, and music. The artists delivered the impactful stories in a vibrant performance, where the real-life narratives came together as one.

“Voices of The Movement” project grew from the increasing need to address the migrant refugee crisis that has taken over the globe by storm. There are over 60 million refugees in the world, 60 million people torn from their homes and their families, just looking to survive and start again. From January to May 2017 we worked with a group of refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and a group of talented artists to create a 'movement' that challenged the stigma associated with people of displacement. We brought to life inspirational stories through original music, poetry and a theatrical show in collaboration with Park Theatre. Our project paired one talented artist with one refugee/migrant and they worked closely and sensitively together to transform their narrated life stories into powerful poems and music. The refugees and migrants in our project decided how they wanted their stories to be told and delivered.  With our project we have successfully shed light on the negative misconceptions and stigmas associated with refugees and migrants in the mainstream media. Our project and our theatrical show was a message, one of extraordinary human resilience and hope that one can always rebuild from the rubble.

On 11 July 1995, 8,372 Bosnians were systematically massacred and buried in mass graves in Srebrenica. Thousands of women, children and elderly people were forcibly deported, and a large number of women were raped. This year (July 2016) will be 21 years since the Srebrenica genocide – Memorial Month. The Srebrenica Memorial honours the victims and survivors of the genocide and war. “Spread Love and Not Hate…” In 2015, a group of artists went on a physical and mental journey to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they took part in a learning visit to understand the true meanings of hate, forgiveness and survival. The aim was to utilize the lessons manifested from the dreadful events that occurred in Srebrenica to foster a world in which our differences become our strengths. The artists had the honour of meeting the incredible mothers who had survived the systematic massacre in Srebrenica, and tragically lost their husbands, sons, brothers and nephews along the way. “When I asked the surviving mothers what I can do to help, they said to me: ‘Spread love and not hate, and share what you have learned here with others.’” – Farah, You Press Co-founder The bravery and strength of the mothers had a profound impact on Farah’s view of the world. His experience inspired him to form a partnership with the charity ( Remembering Srebrenica ) that organised the trip to create a unique creative arts project called ‘ I Remember Srebrenica.’ After 10 months of planning (without any funding or resources, but with the help of the charity and the community), we managed to take a group of talented artists and students to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The whole creative team travelled together to participate in a 4-day learning intensive about the Bosnian war and genocide. The team learned how the genocide affected individual lives and the community as a whole by speaking face-to-face with the survivors and mothers of Srebrenica. Within 4 weeks of the team’s return to London, powerful responses to the event were produced and showcased at a tester event in November 2015. The money generated from the event was donated to the mothers of Srebrenica who were still in the process of identifying the bodies of their loved ones as a result of the genocide. Forgotten Stories In July 2016, we retold the forgotten stories of the people who were brutally overlooked. We strive to give a voice to the innocent victims who deserve to be heard. On  15th July 2016,  we held an event called ‘I Remember Srebrenica’ at Oxford House, Bethnal Green to honour the victims and survivors of the genocide and war through poetry, music and spoken word. Our group was deeply inspired to create art focusing on human rights and the tragedies of war. Many pieces touched on individual survival stories from what has been described as the greatest atrocity in Europe since WWII. The video below is an example of an original piece created for the event.

You Press originated as a social action campaign to challenge the negative perceptions of young people in the media. After we formed our first media partnership with the Guardian, we successfully launched a series called “Youth Tell Us.” The series was an online column consisting of published articles written by young people on current affairs and various social issues, such as education, political participation, employment, sexual health and multiculturalism. You Press’ “Youth Tell Us” series won 1st place at the International Citizen Media Awards held in Germany. The award acknowledged our contribution to creating an active civil society and our commitment to helping citizens and volunteers to further develop themselves as individuals. Since You Press’ inception, we have ventured into new territories to explore creative platforms in hopes of empowering people to find their voices and be heard. “The opportunity to express our ideas and, in a sense, ‘set the record straight’ about youth representations is something that reaches people on a macro scale.” -Olivia HealthYou Press

Watch some of the artists from Our Story, Our Voice project in 2014 perform their work. The aim of this project was to shed light to the challenges and roots of homelessness through poetry, spoken word and music. But mostly importantly to tackle the stigma attached to homeless people.