The project was supported by the Greater London Authority (GLA), training a group of local people to listen to young Black men under the age of 25 and older Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic people over the age of 65 to establish what the impact Brixton’s rapidly changing social landscape has had on these previously established communities.
The three-day listening campaign connected with people in Brixton about issues of redevelopment and gentrification of the area. The results were shared at City Hall and a documentary capturing the journey of the new community organisers, also known as ‘Peer researchers’, was produced.
There was also a celebratory community event held at the local adventure playground where the project was shared with the wider community. The listening results revealed some hugely powerful and often personal issues around inclusion, exclusion and identity. The aim of this event was to create a space for those that had been listened to, to come together and explore what they could do to address some of the issues they face collectively. High Trees are continuing to support these local people.
Despite many of these topics being very sensitive, the listening training had paid off, with one trainee commenting on how forthcoming those he listened to were with their views.
