Covid-19 snapshot call-out to all children and young people in Newham.
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and Geeta Subramaniam-Mooney, Newham’s Children and Young People’s Commissioner, is inviting its young residents to unleash their artistic and creative talents to show how they and the borough have been coping with the coronavirus crisis and their hopes for a brighter future.
They want to see a piece of creative work from children and young people up to the age of 25 that best capture the spirit and consequences of life under lockdown.
Mayor Fiaz said: “The current situation has touched the lives of people across Newham and has brought about a community spirit that we haven’t seen for a generation. Families and neighbours are showing great acts of kindness towards each other and what better way to tell that story than through the eyes of our talented young people. Be creative, express how you are feeling and show us your experiences since lockdown and your dreams for the future."
The Young Newham Story project is looking for young people to show their creativity through drawings, photographs, paintings, cake decorations, t-shirt prints, doodles, models, or anything creative that represent how lockdown has affected everyday life in Newham. Alternatively, share one line of your own words, or a quote that means something to you and help express your feelings.
You can show how family life has changed; empty streets, parks, or shops that are normally filled with people; volunteers working in the local community; or tributes to NHS staff or key workers. Sadly for some young people, the images may also reflect a time of loss and grief.
Geeta Subramaniam-Mooney said: “The lockdown has had a deep impact on all of our lives in one way or another and will be remembered for many years to come. We want children and young people to be creative and send designs and images that capture this moment in time so that future generations will be able to look back and see how Newham contributed towards beating coronavirus.”
Send us your digital artwork or a photograph of your creation, or if you are under 18 ask your parents or carers to do so. Email them to NewhamCYP.Commissioner@newham.gov.uk or direct message on Instagram at @YouthZonesLBN
Submissions will be kept for posterity and considered for an online exhibition and touring display of collective experiences that will visit creative cultural locations across the borough. Contributors are asked to include with the photographs the first name and age of the person responsible for them.