South London creative collective Rise looking for new members

Specifically catering to those who want to harness their voices through creativity, their events have hosted rappers Kojey Radical, and Kitch, who was born with a speech impediment but found he can speak fluently through rap. The 20-year old rapper was also the star of a BBC documentary.

The collective’s aims come at a time when ten years of government austerity has meant cuts in services needed to help young people in areas of extreme social deprivation. These cuts have been directly linked to knife crime, exploitation by county line gangs, poor mental health, exclusions and homelessness.

Through online workshops and mentorship programs, Rise continues to build a network of creatives. COVID-19 has meant that the Collective has had to come up with new ways of supporting young people, and online tutorials are a must in order to replace their workshops.

“We wanted to do something that will help young people tackle the boredom, stress and depression that isolation can bring,” explains Helen Wadge, co-founder of the Collective.

The collective is looking to involve more young people in its programme this year, and is asking candidates to send in a short instructional video to apply. “It can be anything from four to five minutes, that guides their audience in doing a specific creative task,” Wadge tells us. “It can be anything! If you’re a spoken word poet maybe a guided free write, or if you’re a dancer you could teach some choreography. Rappers can play a beat and challenge each other.

To apply, please send your video to helen@therisecollective.org.uk or find out more on the Rise Collective website. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, 10 May 2020.