Delivered by Kay Rufai
In 2020, we are supporting the “SMILE-ing Boys Project” project by Kay Rufai through our Connecting People and Places funding, co-funded by Foundation for Future London and City of London.
“SMILE-ing Boys Project” is a project based in Newham and Hackney.
We awarded “SMILE-ing Boys Project” project a grant as it meets many of Connecting People and Places’s themes and priorities including creative learning, diversity, participation, engagement, well-being, education and training.
The project also focuses on young people, Black people and working-class people, some of the marginalised groups of beneficiaries we want to reach.
“S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys Project” is a creative arts project, using photography, poetry, film and podcasts to address the mental health needs of black boys and challenge the negative portrayal of this demographic in the media. The project is a research-led public health series of workshops based on eight pillars of happiness, designed as a response to rising levels of serious youth violence and the negative media portrayal of black boys as perpetrators and victims.
For more information, please contact Kayrufai@universoulbrand.com or see www.universoulartist.com.