The intergenerational work stems in part from the tragic loss of Filipe Oliveira who was murdered in Tulse Hill in April 2023 creating shock in the local community and traumatising his family and those that knew him, including the young people who where friends with the 20-year-old.
Filipe was attacked with a knife in Norwood Road in the early evening and staggered into a shop suffering the wounds that would claim his life. While those who cherished Filipe wanted to grieve, gathering at the scene of the attack on him, local adults struggled to connect with the young people and felt anxiety in the wake of such a tragic incident.
The council is committed to making Lambeth one of the safest boroughs in London and has a long term strategy to tackle the underlying causes of violence in our communities. This work is part of those efforts.
The Lambeth Youth Forum has organised series of events as part of the initiative, including workshops in Kennington on 12 April and Vauxhall on 10 May this year. The next session will be a final gala event at Longfield Hall in Knatchbull Road on May 24, which residents off all ages are invited to attend.
To sign up visit tickettailor.com.
Cllr Dr Mahamed Hashi, Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said: “We want our young people to grow up in a supportive environment where they are confident in themselves, confident in their interactions and able to express themselves.
“Building inter-generational bonds between young people and adults in our communities in a creative way will help achieve that, as well as improve safety. The streets of our busy borough can at times present serious challenges for our young people, business owners and local people.
“Creating better understanding of each other’s experiences will build a more supportive environment for facing these challenges.”
The workshops are run as creative sessions where role play, acting and group discussions are held to play out different scenarios and identify ways to resolve or avoid conflict. At Longfield Hall Brixton based drama and theatre expert Tony Cealy and prop-maker Jacques Griffith will lead the session.
Once completed the art work from the three sessions will be displayed locally. The initiative is part of the Lambeth Made Safer 10-year plan of coordinated work to prevent violence in the borough.
NOTES:
Photo credit to Nick Wright.
