Future Makers Collaborations //
Crawley Stories
Local Voices, Global Perspectives
Celebrating the talent and creativity of young people in Crawley, Crawley Stories is a series of six podcast episodes made in collaboration between local teenagers and professional artists.
Crawley Stories explores young people’s thoughts, feelings and memories of their local area as they take artists on physical journeys around their hometown of Crawley. Encompassing everything from their walk to school, the places they hang out, where they go to for some peace, and the places they feel most alive and connected, these journeys have unearthed how they feel about Crawley and the world around them, their hopes, and what they feel is important.
Crawley Stories is our first collaboration with arts organisations that are local to our Crawley home, Creative Crawley and Crawley’s Creative Playground. It also marks the launch of our new Crawley-based Future Makers Hub.
Find out more about our Future Makers work.
“Being part of Crawley Stories was a phenomenal experience. Being able to have a genuine conversation with another creative whilst showing them some memorable places in town was so special.”
Trailer
Listen and subscribe below.
Meet the Creatives
Episode One - Iffat and Anna
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Iffat is 18 and has lived in Crawley most of her life. She describes herself as vocal, distinctive, and energetic. Iffat is a spoken word artist, who has been writing since she was 14 years old and covers topics such as growing up, immigration, and identity. She is an admirer of Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, also known as the brownhijabi, whom she describes as a phenomenal poet.
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Anna Howie is a UK Country Singer/Songwriter based in East Grinstead/Crawley - described as ‘Americana with a very British Twist’. In March 2022 Anna released her debut album The Friday Night Club named after a Facebook livestream she started from her front room during lockdown which went on to have nearly 2 million views.
Episode Two - Patience & Woodzy
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Patience is 19 years old and has spent most of her life in Crawley. She has been part of the cadets, is an aspiring Army Medic, and regularly listens to Chase Atlantic and Montel Fish. She also says that she doesn’t live up to her name and is frequently impatient.
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Woodzy is an award-winning poet, speaker and facilitator, constantly looking to help grow the Worldwide poetry community and change the world one poem at a time. Woodzy is an award-winning Flo Poet, 2x TEDx Speaker and winner of UK unsigned 2019.
Episode Three - Ellee & Sarah
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Ellee is in Year 9 and a student at Thomas Bennett Community College. She describes herself as silly, mischievous, and shy. She is a superfan of Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown and Pedro Pascal. She loves celebrating Christmas at home with her family.
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Sarah is an experienced participatory artist, lecturer and creative facilitator and has worked in education for over twenty-five years. Known as ‘Social Fabric’, Sarah is highly experienced at leading, coordinating and delivering inclusive, high-quality participatory art/textile workshops. She has also illustrated a series of published children’s books ‘The Therapeutic Fairy Tale series’
Episode Four - Max & Karl
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Max is 12 years old and has lived in Crawley for most of his life. He describes himself as funny, talkative and a tree climber. He loves eating crackers dipped in gravy, which he says is a lot nicer than it sounds. He is a keen listener to Rockit Music which makes music for horror games.
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Karl Singporewala ARB RIBA RWA is an artist and architect, born in Crawley, West Sussex. He was elected as a Royal Academician at the RWA in 2022. Karl has worked on multiple published and award-winning residential and cultural projects both in the UK and throughout Europe.
Episode Five - Bonnie & AFLO. The Poet
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Bonnie is a year 9 student at Thomas Bennett School and has lived in Crawley her entire life. She shares her home with her mum and cares for three dogs and three cats. Bonnie enjoys listening to Drake, The Weekend, and Melanie Martinez. She describes herself as compassionate, creative, and ‘not dramatic at all’!
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AFLO. the poet (she/they) is an award-winning Brighton-based spoken word artist, activist and academic who embraces creative expression to disrupt the status quo and inspire social change. AFLO. uses poetry as a vehicle to address hard-hitting topics, particularly racism and mental health.
Episode Six - Oscar & Rob
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Oscar is 14 years old attends Hazelwick School and has lived in Crawley all his life. He is obsessed with trainers, and football, as well as a massive Star Wars fan. His favourite film is Shawshank Redemption and he loves Jersey Boys the musical. He aspires to work in the film industry when he is older.
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Rob is a critically acclaimed director, dramaturg and facilitator. He collaborates with writers, young people, poets and designers to make sense of the fractured world we inhabit. He is currently the Artistic Director for Theatre Centre, regularly teaches at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and works with the Institute of the Arts Barcelona.