HOME | SUPPORT
Help young people thrive not just survive
SPID’s youth play Gamechanger at the modernist Kensal House estate
The housing crisis is hitting young people hard, with increasing numbers facing rent poverty, landlord negligence and homelessness. From our theatre in Kensal House estate near Grenfell Tower, the award winning SPID (Social Progressive Interconnected Diverse) has improved their skills and prospects since 2005. This year our groundbreaking £3.4m refurbishment raised our profile, generated long waiting lists– and completely depleted our funds. To keep these vital opportunities free and commemorate our 20th birthday, we are seeking donations for a year long free program of youth hits and learning:
£20,000 to make a show
£10,000 to run a 3-months youth program
£ 5,000 to mentor young people for 12 sessions
£ 1,000 for free food for weekly workshops
£40-£500 for weekly heating contribution
With your help, SPID will celebrate by delivering projects and showstoppers listed below:
Far Far Away: Youth Truth –
Art and learning (8-13 years old)
Nurtures creative expression by developing artistic and leadership skills to create performances, comics, and puppetry.
Estate Endz: Living History –
Heritage and drama (13-25 years old)
Dramatises social housing’s heritage by giving them the chance to interview estate residents and create dramatised tours sharing their history.
Estate Voices: Change Collective –
Advocacy and networking (adults)
Gives estate residents the skills to use art for advocacy to make inspiring films, which connects with others pushing for positive social change.
Step Up: Spreading the Word –
Progression routes and opportunity (cross generational)
Improves prospects through paid outreach and performance, accredited skills and ambassadorships.
Bluebeard’s Wives Show: Reinventing Theatre
In an explosion of sound, film and dance, SPID’s Artistic Director and Founder Helena Thompson reworks the mythical tale of the wife murderer and the woman he tests. Following a sell-out run at London’s ICA Theatre in July 2003, Bluebeard’s Wives received rave reviews at Edinburgh, coverage here.
Wings Tings Callings and Kings: Keeping it Real
The inspiring script is written by SPID’s Artistic Production Associate Kai Gama, recipient of the prestigious Producers’ Placement from Stage One. Kai is mentor to The Kingsmen, a collective of young, talented, black men who met at SPID’s Estate Endz. They will perform the script he wrote in collaboration with them.
The Dream: Black History in Action
The story of a black British teen as he discovers police brutality and the rise of the Black Power Movement in the 1960s and 1970s in West London, 4 star review here. Written by SPID’s Head of Youth and Community Programs Nnenna Samson Abosi, it highlights inequalities in our society and celebrates diverse heritage in Britain. The play explores the Race Relations Acts and the Mangrove 9 trials, study guide here.
SPID is the only charity championing housing justice for young people.
We have campaigned for investment in access and safety at their base in Kensal House estate for two decades. Our new lift, sloping corridor and restoration works have now pioneered accessibility for heritage to make Kensal House estate’s Grade II* listed community rooms a flagship for living history and a beacon of hope for tomorrow’s children. We are proud to have worked with residents to ensure the council brings the whole estate up to standard.
The history of SPID’s unprecedented 3.4m refurbishment of Kensal House Community Rooms.