Project

We run inclusive theatre arts groups for children and young people in Peckham, we welcome and support young people with physical or learning disability, an emotional or behavioural difficulty or who may be excluded from regular education.

What does your charity/project do?

We run weekly sessions for 5- 17 year olds where our participants can create, play and express themselves. Run by a team of volunteers our work is user led so our young people decide what they want to do. We are developing a company group for 17 years +. In our session we try to support each child to work to their own abilities. In our sessions we use dance, music, animation, theatre, film and costume. Peckham Shed initiated and managed the Peckham Peace Wall in response to the recent riots.

How does your charity/project support the local community?

We work to provide a safe space to imagine and play for young people in Peckham who might not be able to afford to go to after school activities. Through a team of trained volunteers from the local area we are able to provide one-on-one support for young people with disabilities. We hope our sessions give our young people a sense of belonging and a feeling of value, allowing their opinions and voices to be heard. We work in local schools and colleges and partners with community organisations.

What do you plan to use the CommunityForce award for?

We have waiting list for our groups and we would love to welcome more young people to be part of it but we can't do this without more staff to look after them. We would use the £6,000 to employ a Project Manager who would look after our volunteers, help recruit new ones, work in our community to encourage more young people to get involved and help mentor our Company group members. This would make an amazing difference to our work and participants, creating an exciting future for Peckham Shed.