On 8 February 2023, Shape History launched our inaugural History Shaper Fund. The winner would receive £10,000, 6 months of mentoring, and full use of our office space. 11 weeks later, we are hugely excited to announce the results.
The judging panel – Sachini Imbuldeniya (Exec Creative Director at Nemorin), Sheeraz Gulshar (co-founder of People Like Us), David Levin (Founder & former Creative Director of That Lot), Ayesha Gardiner, Antoinette Orr, Lewis Parker and Zoe Dawson (all Shape History) – were blown away by the quality, breadth and creativity of the applicants.
We received 37 submissions in total from right across the country – of which 12 were shortlisted – before a final 3 presented their projects to the judges. The panel were looking for ideas that were above all creative, unique, inclusive, and had the ability to effect meaningful social impact in society.
We’d like to thank all the applicants, judges, organisations and individuals who helped spread the word about the Fund. For anyone who wasn’t successful this time, or missed out on applying, the History Shaper Fund will be returning in Autumn 2023 for the next round.
So without further ado, here’s this year’s History Shaper Fund winner, finalists and a selection of the shortlist.
WINNER | LAMESHA RUDDOCK, 22 | I’NA SUIT YOU
“I’na suit you” is a 6-month long historical research and theatre-making project, which aims to explore the patois language in the diaspora, with a focus on London and its rejection, assimilation, and appropriation over time. The idea for my project was sparked from a Twitter discussion over where certain phrases/idioms came from, and how different cities over the world had claims due to the spreading of language from the Caribbean diaspora. My project will aim to highlight Caribbean influence and the mark it’s made on the world. It will culminate in a live theatre performance and an e-book, showcasing the contributions of the team.
To demonstrate the need for adequate research before engaging in a theatre project, we will have a team of 10-20 individuals who will attend regular sessions. These sessions will help the team feel immersed and confident in telling this history.
The first half of the project will focus on historical research, where there will be sessions such as, “Intro to history-making”, “Oral history workshop” and “Archival research workshop”. The skills gained from these sessions will set the team up to conduct oral history interviews, which will be used in the final performance, and write copy for the e-book.
The second half of the project will focus on theatre-making, where there will be a full week of creative output workshops to help develop the teams’ artistic range and interests. This would include verbatim theatre, performance art, cabaret, and poetry – and would help the team to express their language and their culture, with ownership in the way it’s displayed. We will then hold weekly rehearsals led by a director and dramaturg, who would help shape the performance. The collaborative relationship with the creatives and the team will encourage their voice in the room – as ultimately the words are coming from them.
Following the rehearsals, there will be a performance in September. We will invite the local community, young people, project collaborators, historians, project interviewees, theatre organisations, and families. The performance will display a range of art forms and demonstrate every individual’s response from the historical research, which will be vulnerable and powerful. Following the performance, we will host a Q&A with a panel of interviewees to encourage further discussions and platform their hidden experiences.
To continue the momentum of the showing, we will publish an e-book of this history in the hope it could be taught in schools and youth groups, and used as further stimuli for creative projects.
Our language suits us and we should be encouraged to speak it more. Patois is an intellectual language, it is a clear language and it is a language that connects us to our ancestors. I hope the project will encourage us to use it more and change British society’s negative bias towards it.
FINALIST | GEORGE IMAFIDON, 25 | SUSTAINABLE SOUTHWARK
Sustainable Southwark is a 3-month project born out of the tragic passing of Ella Kissi-Debrah in South London due to air pollution – an unfortunate victim of climate injustice. It will be delivered in three key phases: Engage & Inspire, Empower, and Unleash in order to build intergenerational relationships with local engineers and 200 ambitious young people aged 14-16, who are disproportionately affected by climate change in deprived areas in Southwark. This will be achieved by facilitating a competition to develop creative engineering-based solutions with local businesses and residents to mitigate local pollution issues.
Through 20+ fun activities, industry and neighbourhood visits to places like Tower Bridge Road – London’s 8th most polluted road, fireside chats, intimate workshops and mentoring led by relatable and inspirational young professionals, the young people will increase their awareness and knowledge of how engineers can solve these issues.
Engage & Inspire
This uncovers the two-fold heart of the project – the poor visibility of accessible role models from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the London Climate Emergency. Through Fireside Chats, the young people will hear from relatable role models and young professionals in STEAM about overcoming adversity, upskilling themselves and making a change in their local area to inspire and engage them.
Empower
Through a series of workshops, insight days, a visit to a Formula-E race, and group/1:1 mentoring, the young people will experience the realities of working in STEAM. The workshops will be led by STEAM students and professionals who work with Sir Lewis Hamilton, raising the awareness, confidence and aspirations of young people, and cultivating the new possibilities of the future. The participants will use ‘design thinking’ methodology in workshops to design and develop solutions to the pollution problems in their local area. The workshops and mentoring sessions will be the main points of contact time that the young people will use to actively work towards their solutions.
Unleash
This provides the young people with a platform to put their skills into practice. The young people will pitch their creative solutions for their local issues to a judging panel of local councillors and employers. This promotes a competitive spirit and a sense of pride, boosting their confidence and social capital while providing a foundation for the councillors to take suitable solutions further. Following this period of mentoring, they will graduate and the recurring alumni will become peer mentors for the next cohort.
FINALIST | BECK DUNN, 23 | EXPOSING BRITAIN’S WATERWAYS
Britain’s waterways are becoming severely polluted as water companies dump their sewage freely. The UK’s biggest water company, Thames Water, is using streams and rivers as its personal dumping ground for waste. As a result, not a single English waterway is in good ecological and chemical health. Our ecosystems are now under severe threat. Plants and animals are struggling to survive due to the bacteria in their habitats, and it’s even a threat to human health, with hundreds of cases of illness reported last year among people exposed to polluted water.
We plan to make this problem unignorable. Especially in the eyes of those who can enact change. So we’re going to turn the issue of pollution into the medium of communication.
Our idea is to take bacteria from polluted rivers, and use it to recreate the logos of the companies responsible, showing them for what they really are. We’ll work with a microbial artist to create Out-of-Home billboards out of the logos, to hammer home how the companies who are supposed to protect our water are in fact a load of crap.
Our project will launch on 24th September, World Rivers Day. We’ll place billboards strategically in spots close to the the rivers, streams and urban wicks that have become dangerously polluted. We also want to create a stunt near Parliament where we’ll grow one of the signs over the course of a couple days, bringing it directly to MPs.
We believe that we can enact serious positive change with this idea. Change comes when people unite behind a cause. And while the sewage in our rivers and streams has made headlines already, it still lacks the public outcry needed to force change. Until now. Our idea has the power to galvanise the public against a common enemy, against the people responsible for the hundreds of raw sewage warning issues in the first month of 2023 alone. Our wildlife is in danger, as is human health, with hundreds of instances of people becoming ill from last year due to sewage-infected water. We must protect our biodiversity, and cleaning up our rivers is essential to this.
Using the issue of sewage, and the logos of the companies responsible as the medium of the message, our idea is original, powerful and unignorable.
SHORTLISTED | LANAIRE ADEREMI, 23 | EVERY 40 SECONDS PODCAST
The Every 40 Seconds podcast aims to raise awareness about mental health and suicide, particularly among young people aged 25 and under. Through the power of storytelling, the podcast aims to share the experiences of individuals who have dealt with mental health challenges and inspire others to seek help and support.
The project seeks to break down the stigma associated with mental health conditions, especially in communities where mental health problems are rarely recognised or spoken about. The goal is to encourage people to talk openly about their mental health and seek help when needed.
The podcast will feature interviews with mental health professionals, individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges, and community leaders who are advocating for mental health reform. The project also seeks to engage policymakers and promote reform to ensure that everyone can access mental health services.
The project plans to reach its target audience through social media advertising and a targeted campaign to build an engaging social media following three months before launch and then subsequently using guerrilla advertising on launch day to drive traffic to the podcast. The ultimate goal is to create change by raising awareness about mental health challenges, reducing stigma, and advocating for mental health reform.
The success of this project can bring about significant change in the way society views mental health, especially among young people. The project can promote more open discussions about mental health, improve mental health outcomes, and ultimately reduce the rates of suicide.
SHORTLISTED | ELENA ESCALANTE & SOPHIE MCDONALD, 22 & 24 | ELEPHANT FAMILIES
‘Elephant Families’ will be directed by Elena Escalante, a Spanish writer, director and creative producer with a passion for storytelling that transcends the medium. Through migrating from Spain and collecting experiences of South London’s diverse communities, her interest in the vibrant narratives of the Latin diaspora sprung from her time living in Elephant & Castle.
Our producer is the multicultural Sophie McDonald, Hong Kong-born and Madrid-bred to British parents. Sophie has a deep love for sharing people’s intimate stories, particularly those of Latin American descent. With a degree in Hispanic Studies and experiences living in Spain, Chile and Colombia, her work explores the Spanish language and uncovers Hispanic migration stories.
Elephant Families is a 10-minute documentary that tells the urgent story of Elephant & Castle’s changing social landscape through the voices of Latin American immigrant families. We unearth shopkeepers’ forgotten memories from a community being pushed aside by high-rises.
In Elephant Families, we hear the stories of the community that is being pushed out due to redevelopment. The tragic hope of a displaced shopkeeper. The relentless rhythm of cumbia folk songs. The crackling of a freshly fried empanada. We are taken on the neighbourhood’s emotional journey through intimate stories of migration. The cultural nest they have created in Elephant, a home away from home, is vital for their coexistence in the city.
Conceived with and for local residents, our aim is to connect the new high-rise buildings to connect gentrifiers with long-standing neighbours.
WATCH TRAILER – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZCk1QFxpqk&t=1s
FOLLOW THE PROJECT – https://www.instagram.com/elephantfamilies_/
SHORTLISTED | FFION DENMAN / HADAU MAG, 23 | Y WLADFA GYMREIG
My project will expand and enrich the historical narrative of the Welsh colony in Patagonia by elevating the voices and stories of indigenous peoples. By shedding light on their experiences and shared memories, we aim to challenge the one-dimensional perspective that currently exists. In doing so, I hope to raise awareness of the reality of oppression faced by indigenous communities in Argentina, both before and during the arrival of the Welsh.
In addition, my photography workshops, conducted in Welsh, English, and Spanish, will offer Content and Language Integrated Learning opportunities for students to learn a subject and a second language simultaneously.
SHORTLISTED | SAM LAYTON, 25 | SUPPORT FOR US – MAKING CAMHS MORE CONFIDENTIAL AND ACCESSIBLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Through a survey I conducted, where 1,438 12-25 year olds from across the UK shared their views and/or experiences of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), there are clear issues with the confidentiality within CAMHS. Despite 87% thinking under 18s should be able to access services without parents knowing, only 25% thought it’s currently possible.
Despite many young people reporting how the lack of confidentiality had a detrimental effect on their mental health, this is an area that is not being focused on. The obstacles faced by young people were diverse, with some reporting practitioners directly breaching confidentiality where others reported issues around administration or the timings of the appointments leading to confidentiality being breeched.
Through my survey, I launched a petition, that currently has over 2,100 signatures, to change the way CAMHS is accessed. I have also had the opportunity to speak to 2 MPs, Norman Lamb and Debbie Abrahams, about this where they expressed their support for the cause.
With sexual health services having a reform in a 10 year programme from 1999-2010, where sexual health clinics were made easily accessible. The same needs to be done for CAMHS, where the whole system is looked at and reformed to enable young people to get the right support at the right time.
Within the documentary, a group of young people from a diverse background will share their experiences and influential people will to illustrate that it’s not an isolated case. I am looking to speak to influential people to make them aware of the issues, gather their views, and persuade them to get involved to help eliminate the issues that are present.
A documentary will get young people, practitioners and decision members engaged and will inevitably start discussions surrounding what areas need addressing to fix the problems that currently exist.
Through people talking about the documentary, it will add pressure to the government to act upon the concerns raised.
SHORTLISTED | ELENA LO PRESTI | CRAFT FORWARD
Craft Forward is a Community Interest Company that aims to make arts and crafts accessible to everyone, irrespective of their skills and background, and break down the elitism within the industry. Through workshops that prioritise well-being and connection, the company seeks to redefine the value of arts and crafts in the community.
One of their primary initiatives is “Blankets for London,” where they bring together knitters and crocheters to create handmade blankets for people experiencing homelessness in the city, having made 77 blankets and brought over 500 people through this project so far. Craft Forward believes that arts and crafts can be a catalyst for social change while having a positive impact on people’s mental health and well-being.
They host monthly knitting workshops in Brixton, providing an opportunity for people to learn new skills, make connections, and help others in need while promoting the importance of slow-making and slow-thinking. As a CIC, Craft Forward focuses on giving back to the local community in Lambeth while fostering intergenerational cohesion and creating a supportive environment.
We plan to expand our impact beyond Lambeth by hosting more workshops and events throughout London. We also plan to continue our focus on promoting well-being, creativity, and community through a variety of different crafts.
FOLLOW THE PROJECT:
SHORTLISTED | WAHIDA SEISAY | HER WORLD UK
HerWorldUK is a brand and community that seeks to provide greater education, relatability and recognition for black, female creatives. I began the brand because I noticed that the demographic on many programmes, which aim to better integrate people into the creative sector, was black women. However, observing the sector itself, those obtaining top positions are white men and this certainly isn’t solely down to talent and/or ability.
Creating a space like this allows all types of black, female creatives to be catered to: those who are emerging and lack knowledge, those mastering their craft and are looking to expand their network and those who are truly experts in their craft but still lack their deserved recognition. The brand was launched on International Women’s Day 2023 and the aim is to build such a strong community, that there is no option but to take up space in these higher positions.
There are many exciting things in store with the anticipation of a docu-series which spotlights some black female creatives and events which collaborate with other brands that share a similar goal.
FOLLOW THE PROJECT:
SHORTLISTED | TOBI AYINDE | A GOLDEN RELATIONSHIP
“A Golden Relationship” is a short documentary which showcases young people, aged 18-25, discussing their faith and working together to better their communities.
This film will incorporate multiple documentary styles to produce a project that respectfully and creatively highlights how different religions have the same purpose of sharing love and improving their community. The film will follow 5-10 young people of faith doing various activities that support their communities, discussing the purpose of their faiths together and sharing their journey with religion to inspire others.
This project will be produced by young filmmakers that share the same vision of the film and a social media campaign will be managed by young creators that want to spread our mission across the UK. This film aims to prove that the diversity in faith does not have to result in marginalization but can be used to edify our society.
Tobi is a final year film student working towards having a successful career as an influential filmmaker. I aspire to create films and work on projects that educate people and raise awareness on social issues to benefit our society.
FOLLOW AYINDE:
SHORTLISTED | BANANA | A LOVE LETTER TO QUEER LONDON
In the process of disguising my identity as a Queer individual, I experienced intense anxiety and depression throughout my early teens into my 20s. It was not until I paused to reflect on my youth and my relationship with myself that I made the link between this struggle at hiding my true self from the world and my difficulties with my mental health.
This project is a love letter to the brave and beautiful Queer creatives existing and working in London in 2023.
I want to create a document presenting some of the incredible young members of the Queer community and the work that they are making in this current moment. An archive for present and future members of the Queer and LGBTQ+ community to access. To see other people like themselves thriving and sharing their passion with the world.
When I was growing up, I would have loved to see a film which put a spotlight on other people like myself (specifically Queer and LGBTQ+ artists and creatives). The project I am planning will be a short documentary series about young, working artists and creatives, capturing; behind-the-scenes/ studio tours, short workshops and tutorials, stories of their journeys in understanding their identity and advice for others wanting to progress with an artistic practice and/or work in the creative industry.
The film I am preparing to produce will present true stories of Queer artists and creatives living in London today. The key theme being self-expression through their creativity. It will showcase a selection of Fine Artists, Musicians, Dancers, Writers, Poets, Tattoo Artists, Designers – anyone who identifies as an artist or creative – highlighting examples of Queer people existing and thriving in London, 2023.
This film will celebrate “Weirdness”, showcase “Camp” and above all, honour these wonderful people.
I think it will be a great opportunity to bring together a network of Queer creative people, educate others about what it means and looks like to be Queer and will also create a platform to showcase the works of individuals involved.
Furthermore, I hope to produce a document that offers inspiration and hope to young Queer people living in the UK currently.
My main plan is to begin casting and shooting for this project and I also wish to produce a book of short stories and poetry. I would also love to be involved in an arts collective or charity and travel abroad for a residency in the near future.
FOLLOW BANANA
SHORTLISTED | WILLIAM LAVEN | STAMMER STORIES
Stammer Stories is a podcast about stammering. We talk to people who stammer, people who work in the field, and people who don’t stammer. Our goal is to show that having a stammer shouldn’t hold you back and stop you from achieving your dreams. No one should ever be told that life will be different for them because of how they speak.
We have just launched our biggest campaign yet called ‘Ju_st Sa_y _It’. We are taking you on the journey of when we stammer in one of life’s easiest scenarios but it is the hardest thing for us to do. Ordering a coffee in a coffee shop. You may think this sounds quite basic and does it happen on an everyday basis? The answer is yes it does. You are following the journey of what it’s really like to stammer through movement and words. Within 48 hrs of the campaign going live it hit over 4,000 on all social media platforms.
Over the next few months, Stammer Stories has some exciting projects linking up to one of the biggest stammering moments in history – The Kings Speech.
We also have some really exciting influencers coming on to talk about stammering from the perspective of someone who doesn’t have one in the public eye.
FOLLOW THE PROJECT:
SHORTLISTED | LOK PUI | CREATIVE SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
I wanted to create a social experiment to challenge the behaviour that strangers have towards people dressed in stereotypical clothing and see how this affects people within society.
The aim was to see whether behaviour was predetermined based on appearance and how this would change between control groups upon encountering the same individual dressed differently. Then the control group would be shown the same individual outside of their stereotype outfit and their new responses recorded.
With the experiment results we would explore ways to change negative behaviour toward people of any ethnicity/sexuality/gender to improve life quality in society.
We hope to continue our work, creating positive change to the society with creative solutions!
FOLLOW LOK PUI
SHORTLISTED | ASIYA ISSA | REPURPOSED FOOD MARKET
The aim of Repurposed is to tackle food waste within companies, grocers and households. Repurposed
aims to tackle food waste through two online food markets.
The first online market is accessible to those in our communities that are either homeless, low income or Young. The Second online market is a community market where neighbourhoods can list ingredients and hot meals that would have gone to waste and list those foods at a low price. I look forward to building on this idea and tackling food waste within households and companies.
FOLLOW ASIYA:
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WOW! YES THAT’S WHAT WE THOUGHT TOO! THANKS AGAIN TO ALL OUR APPLICANTS OF THIS YEAR’S HISTORY SHAPER FUND. TO KEEP UP TO SPEED WITH THE NEXT ROUND OF APPLICATIONS, SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER VIA THE LINK BELOW 👇👇👇
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