IN OUR WORDS

Is a three organisation strong partnership working with young people and the local community members alongside Hideaway Youth and 84YOUTH to support the exploration of themes such as injustices and inequalities. We work with young people to develop skills, opportunities and experiences, provide informal educational, and personal and social development of participants.

This year in Our Words delved into an intergenerational project exploring Colourism within society and the ways in which it divides already marginalised communities. The project rebelling against the forced standards of beauty that colourism thrusts upon society and instead celebrated diversity in skin tone, cultures and nationality. We held a bring a dish lunch and screening of a film created by our young people from Hideaway Youth Project. The film entitled NO SHADE depicted the perspective of our young people from Black and South Asian heritage. They discussed the ways in which domestic and educational institutions perpetuated colourist beliefs or failed to challenge their existence, causing detrimental effects on self esteem, and conflict with other members of the community who are often fetishised rather than ‘prefered’.

In Our Words delivered a week-long street art session during the summer break where we worked with young people to create graffiti murals and skateboards. The project aimed to reclaim the discriminative narrative of criminal art that is often deemed inferior and linked to delinquency. Instead we celebrated the art seen around the community and explored the stories that were told within these pieces of art.

On Shrove Tuesday In Our Words celebrated International Mother Language Day in partnership with Moss Side Powerhouse and Library; and were able to host a sing along with Women Asylum Seekers Together; creating art with their children. We are currently working on our latest project that tackles the politics of hair mainly within the Black diaspora, in addition to the ways gender is attacked through hair. We have conducted photoshoots placing Black hair in the centre and amplifying the message that all hair types are beautiful, professional and accepted.